


Second Chances

by BlackMajjicDuchess



Category: Naruto
Genre: Abuse, Alcohol, Amnesia, Confusion, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Loss, Love Triangles, Memory Alteration, Memory Loss, Multi, Protectiveness, Running Away, Weakness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-15
Updated: 2014-05-04
Packaged: 2018-01-12 11:39:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 19
Words: 31,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1185803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackMajjicDuchess/pseuds/BlackMajjicDuchess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sakura thought she had everything she wanted, but now finds herself lost, vulnerable, and terribly confused. The man she loves is a monster, the monster that made him that way turns out to be a friend, and a friend might become the man she loves. Sasuke bashing, vulnerable woman behaviors, character death.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Broken

**Author's Note:**

> Previously posted on fanfiction.net under the same pen name 9/11/2009
> 
> Sakura thought she had everything she wanted when Sasuke came back to Konoha, reigniting all her girlish fantasies. She realized he wasn't the boy she remembered, but too late. Fearing for her happiness and her very life, she takes the opportunity to flee her life in Konoha. There she finds a strange ninja that reminds her just what it's like to feel special. But is he the one to give her what she needs, or has she missed out on true happiness all along? Will she get another chance?
> 
> Itachi is captivated by Sakura and the pain she suffers at Sasuke's hands, as it reminds him of his own family. Observing the abuses of his younger brother, a younger version of himself, he is shocked into self realization and begins regressing to his boyhood habits, before he became a killing machine. But would Sakura accept the older, clan-killing version of her abuser? Is it too late for Itachi to find contentedness?
> 
> Naruto has ever been the vigilant friend, through the best and worst of times. Putting his own desires second, he has only ever cared about Sakura's happiness, even if it ultimately meant he'd have to endure watching her get hurt over and over again. He missed his chance once. Will he brave enough to give it a shot this time?
> 
> And in the midst of it all, does Sasuke have anything to say about the dynamic changes revolving around the hope of the Uchiha clan?
> 
> Will Sakura even survive the stress to her body and mind?  
> \----------  
> This is not a fairy tale. This is not a romance. There are no toe-curling love scenes. There might not even be a happy ending. This is about the weakness of one girl who thought she knew what she wanted and got mixed up somewhere in between.
> 
> The characters are not 'cute.'
> 
> Important message: there are slight references to violence, abuse, alcohol, and rape in this story. There is also a lot of swearing (I love swearing), and slight sexual tendencies.
> 
> If these subjects make you sensitive or offended, please do not read.

Chapter One-Broken

It was late afternoon on a nondescript path somewhere between Konoha and the Village Hidden in the Sand. The sun was high and bright, the clouds, purest white, the kind Shikamaru would normally watch for hours upon end and assign identities to. It was the middle of summer, perfect weather, the wind blowing gently enough to keep her cool.

Sakura Haruno, jounin and medic, and one of the most respected ninja in the Leaf Village, was on a basic mission. The rest of Team Seven, minus Kakashi, was sent to escort the Sand ambassador, Temari, back to her village. Temari never enjoyed being escorted, since she considered herself strong enough to handle the path between, but Team Seven had become good friends of hers since she had started spending so much time in the Leaf Village.

Over the years, Sakura had transformed into a magnificent ninja. She was quick, agile, and could really pack a punch since she had trained under the Hokage. She was a valuable asset to any team, able to heal any injury provided her patient was not already dead. Some whispered that she might have even surpassed Tsunade's skills already, though it was not quite true. She was only 20, though, and had plenty of time to attain further skill and knowledge. She had mastered Genjutsu and developed several of her own, as well as acquired some interesting Ninjutsu that made Naruto jealous, even though Naruto could probably still crush her in brute force alone.

She had waited years for Team Seven to reunite and carry out missions. She spent years dreaming of them, and could not have cared less if they were hunting Akatsuki or searching for a lost cat. It made her immensely happy just to be spending time with Sasuke and Naruto, and to see the two bicker as usual and fight to be the best.

And Temari was one of her better friends. She was not as silly as Ino could be, nor as introverted as Hinata. Temari was tough, smart, and interesting. They'd become very good friends, and Sakura truly enjoyed her company.

It was, to tell the truth, probably the most perfect day she could envision. There was only one thing wrong with it.

Everything.

She tried to dodge before the blow connected but was not fast enough. She had not been expecting it. Her ears rang as she took a punch to the face, flying several meters through the air and hitting a large tree back first. Her head snapped back and cracked into the tree, leaving a knot on her head she knew would be there for a long time. It gave her an instant headache.

She fought to hold back the tears. It was happening again, but more and more, and there was never any consideration for where, or with whom. She would not appear weak in front of her friends, not even for him. She met his eyes, trying her best to appear defiant.

"You're so pathetic," he sneered at her. "Why don't you go back to Konoha and play doctor, little Sakura, and leave the real ninjas alone."

"Hey, Sasuke! What're you doing! She's your wife, you moron!" Naruto rushed over to help her up as Temari took up a fighting stance between the two.

"Stay out of it, both of you. You have no idea how she can be." He turned his back on all three of them and continued on the path alone.

"Stay out of it? Are you crazy! You're both my friends, Sasuke. I wish you would quit fighting. And if you can't stop fighting, then at least stop hitting her."

"Why, Naruto?" Sakura asked bitterly. "Because I'm a girl and I can't protect myself? I'm a ninja, I can take a punch." She rubbed her jaw and worked it. She was definitely going to experience some pain for her next few meals, and one of her teeth was loosened, so it would need to be babied.

"No, Sakura," he said with concern as he righted her on her feet. "Because even ninjas aren't supposed to harm someone they love. I'd never hit you like he does, and he's your husband."

"He's right though, Naruto. Stay out of it. You don't know how we are when we're alone." She tried to tell herself that all the time. Sasuke could be a true sweetheart at times. Like when he'd returned, and promised her he'd never leave forever like that again, that he was sorry he ever hurt her before and would never hurt her again. Like how excited he was when they'd bought their house, or how intense the look in his eyes were when he was looking at her the way husbands look at wives. Every time he hit her and she had to go to sleep alone, crying because he'd hit her and walked out again, she tried to convince herself it was going to be alright. He did love her, he had to, or he'd never have married her.

Temari lowered her voice. "Sakura, if my husband ever treated me like he does I'd beat his ass."

"What husband?" she replied nastily. "You're such a hardass no one wants to be anywhere near you!" She knew her words would hurt, but she didn't care. She was hurt, and she wanted to be alone. "Sasuke!" she called out to him. "Are you this abusive to Rika too?" The waitress. She saw him stiffen and stop walking. "Or Saeko, or Kagami, or Aneko?" The actress, the barmaid, the librarian.

He turned to her, his eyes pure poison. "I don't know what you're talking about," he spat.

"Sakura…" Naruto warned her, seeing the killer's look in his eyes.

"Suuure you do!" she said, acting overly cheerful. "They have lots of pleasant things to say about you! 'Sasuke took me to the beach last weekend.' 'Sasuke made the most amazing dinner on Friday.' 'Sasuke…. Ooh just saying his name makes my toes curl.' Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke. How many of them are there, since I know there is only one Sasuke? Are any of them pregnant with your heirs yet, or is it just you that cannot reproduce?"

"Why you arrogant bitch!" he roared as he rushed at her.

"At least I'm not an impotent, cheating bastard!" she retorted, ready for the fight.

Naruto connected with Sasuke's face and sent him sprawling. As Sasuke rolled into an attack stance, Naruto glared at him. "I mean it, Sasuke. I may not be able to protect her at home, but I can out here. Watch yourself, or I will report you to the Hokage myself," he growled, a hint of the demon fox adding power to his words.

They stared at each other for a long time, then Sasuke stalked down the road again. "Useless wench," he mumbled. "Bloodsucking harpy."

"Well," Temari said sarcastically to no one in particular, "this is fun, guys. Thanks for walking me home."

Naruto felt extremely troubled. He, too, had been glad when Sasuke returned, saying he wanted to restore his clan before he killed Itachi in case he died in the process. He'd been beside himself with joy when Sasuke appeared to care for Sakura as she had for him all this time. He had always had a crush on Sakura himself, but who couldn't, really? It made him happy to see her face light up, and at first, Sasuke had done that. Naruto had never seen a happier kunoichi as he had on their wedding day, and hoped someday he could have that effect on someone too.

They'd been married for two years now. At first, everything had been picture perfect, the way Team Seven was originally. Naruto and Sasuke would fight, though a lot more maturely than they had back then. Sakura would reproach them both and try to make everyone get along, even though she knew they were joking now more than anything.

Then it started happening. Sasuke would go out at night, and would not come back until late the next day. Or the next. Naruto had seen it all, from start to finish. He tailed Sasuke to one of the girls' house to assure himself it was all untrue, but it wasn't. He guessed that Sasuke had not been able to have kids yet, or Sakura would surely have popped one out by now, the way they'd been with each other those first couple of months. Maybe that was why he felt the need to screw every willing female in the Leaf Village. Either way, it was not long before Sakura found out. Gossip traveled fast. At first, she did not believe it either. Naruto did not know how she had found out, only when. She'd showed up at his place that night, and cried to him for hours until she exhausted herself to sleep.

She tried to talk to Sasuke, but he didn't care. It had seemed to both her and Naruto that Sasuke was withdrawn again. He only cared about himself, had only ever cared about himself and his marriage to Sakura was a cover for him to start an Uchiha factory. He probably had never loved her. It had been a lie from the start.

Sakura was not one to give up. There was no way she'd ever leave Sasuke's side. She was not the type to end a marriage, no matter what her reasons. When people asked her about why and how she dealt with his dalliances she feigned ignorance. Despite it all, Sakura herself had never strayed, not once! Naruto had caught her in the bar before, getting drunk enough to forget her own name. Men had tried, that night, and she ignored them or waved them off. Naruto had joined her at the bar on more than one occasion when she needed a friend, and listened to her latest tales of misery, and watched her cry.

It was probably 6 months into their marriage when Sasuke started beating her. Naruto knew; how could he not? Sasuke appeared cold and uncaring when he asked, told him in no uncertain terms to fuck off, not to worry about it, and it was none of his business. For Sakura's part, she would laugh it off and say she had been training with oh what's his face and had been daydreaming in the middle of a fight. Naruto saw right through it, even if no one else ever did.

Sakura had everything she had dreamed of, and she was so tortured she could not even dream of happiness or her spirit would shatter into millions of pieces.

It tore him apart that there was nothing he could do. Sakura loved Sasuke, despite everything, and made him promise not to tell. What was worse was that every mission was like this. They always fought. They always pretended he was not there or told him to stay out of it. He swore not to tell though, so he tried his best to keep them from killing each other and suffered through.

He looked at them both. Sakura's head was held high. There was already an angry red blotch where he'd hit her on her jawline, and she was walking rather stiffly, but she was not shedding tears yet. She wouldn't, not where Sasuke could see and gain any satisfaction from it. No, Sakura would always cry alone, except for the rare occasion that she cried to him instead. Sasuke was prowling like an angry cat. His hands were clenched into fists, probably thinking of another reason to hit her. He kept shaking his head, incredulous at her nerve.

He hated it. But what could he do?


	2. Drawing Attention

Itachi had come across the four ninja days before. Having nothing more pressing to do for the time being, he followed them. The first day, he trailed them, hoping to find the perfect opportunity to kill all four. Three were from the Village Hidden in the Leaves, his former village. One was from the Sand. Two from the Leaf Village he recognized. One was the nine tails' Jinchuuriki, Naruto Uzumaki. At 12 years old, Itachi had feared he might not be a match for him alone. Now, 20 years old, by his calculation, he was probably unstoppable. The other Leaf Shinobi he recognized was his little brother, Sasuke.

The Leaf he did not recognize was female, tall and slender with pink hair, which he thought was unique. He was surprised, actually, that he did not know who she was, having such a distinct profile.

The Sand ninja was taller, blonde, and appeared very confident and strong. She carried a large fan on her back. He was sure he had seen her before, but did not remember nor care from where.

The first day he had used to follow them, taking the time and patience to learn about their habits, weaknesses, and strengths. There was not much to be gleaned from watching four Shinobi walk down a plain dirt path, so he set aside all day to do it. By the end of the first evening, they were bickering among each other. Being as intelligent as he was, he pretty much figured it out.

The pink-haired ninja was emotionally involved with his brother. They were, however, unhappy together and fought constantly. Knowing his own bloodline extremely well, he blamed Sasuke. He was sure Sasuke did not have the time to take out of trying to become powerful enough to kill Itachi to woo and appreciate the attention of a bride.

From the looks of it, Sasuke had turned out to be quite a bastard. He did not show any sort of companionship for any of his traveling comrades, not even the pink haired kunoichi. It did make Itachi feel a certain sort of satisfaction that he had irreparably damaged Sasuke's ability to make and maintain friendships. It meant he was miserable, like himself.

The blonde Sand ninja was a good friend of the pink haired kunoichi. Sometimes they would sit further away from the boys to talk alone. Sometimes they laughed and smiled or darted angry glares in the direction of the younger Uchiha brother.

Naruto Uzumaki cared for both the pink haired kunochi and Sasuke. He appeared very distressed about the conflicts, like he didn't know quite how to fix it, and he was sad because of it. He mostly watched, tried to step in sometimes, and kept the pair from fighting as much as possible.

After the first day, Itachi's impression was that he wanted to know more. It was rare to see a group of ninja so inept that they would cause a ruckus in hostile territory without any regards to who might be listening in.

Namely, an Akatsuki by the name of Itachi Uchiha.


	3. Set Free

"I don't know how much longer I can take this Naruto," Sakura confided in him sadly during their overnight in the Sand Village. "I can handle being hurt, but this is not what I want. I had no idea it would be like this."

Naruto watched her carefully. She was drinking too much. He was drinking too, but he was going very easy on his alcohol. If anything happened, he wanted a clear head in case there was a fight. "I know, Sakura," he said, rubbing her shoulder consolingly. If anything, the whole ordeal had aged him beyond his years. "But hey, he's back in the Leaf Village. That's something, huh?" He tried his best to smile for her, hoping it would cheer her up.

She smiled shakily, but tears welled up in her eyes. "I wish he had never come back. I wish he had gone to fight Itachi, and gotten himself killed after all."

Naruto's smile disappeared. This was new, and not good. "Why do you say that?"

"Because then he would have always been the Sasuke we loved, and not… this." The tears fell from her eyes, racing down her reddened cheeks, and over the purple mark on her face.

He didn't say anything. She was right about that. If they had never seen Sasuke again, they would have him eternalized in their memories as their childhood friend. As he'd grown up, he'd become a colder, angrier man. Naruto was happy he was alive, but if he was going to be honest with himself, he also had to admit that Sasuke was never fun to be around anymore. Instead of replying, he reached over and moved a tendril of rose-colored hair from her eyes so it didn't get drenched in tears.

She smiled in thanks.

Moments stretched on. Sakura took deep breaths to steady her nerves. Naruto tried to make some small talk about people back home, trying to concentrate on trusted friends and other  _male_  acquaintances they had so as not to cause her pain by mentioning a wrong name.

"...but then Iruka-sensei showed up, and they were all so surprised they ran straight into them. They got in really big trouble that day. It was the funniest thing  _ever!_  I wish you had been there. It reminded me of when I was their age and doing the same things." He started to laugh.

"I might be leaving for a while, Naruto," she said out of the blue.

His heart sank. "What?! Why?"

"I'm not happy in Konoha anymore. Kakashi-sensei is never around, Lady Tsunade doesn't need me anymore since we trained so many new medics, you don't really need me…"

"I always need you around, Sakura. Don't say that."

"…and Sasuke is…well, Sasuke is a monster. You wouldn't believe the things he says to me when no one is around. I don't love him anymore. I can't disrespect myself enough to pretend that I do, and the way he goes on about resurrecting the high and mighty Uchiha clan, sometimes he just—" she stopped herself, biting her lip.

His brows knitted together in concern. "He just what, Sakura?" She didn't answer, just started crying again, harder this time. It scared him more than he wanted to admit. "Sakura!" he pressed. "What?"

"Sometimes he just… makes me," she finished quietly. She stared down at her empty cup, hoping to see answers in it.

It took him a minute to realize what she meant. It was something that simply didn't happen in Konoha.  _Rape... I'm gonna kill that bastard,_  he thought, feeling his teeth go sharp at the thought. He could not imagine ever forcing someone to be with him that way, even if he  _were_ married to her. And to Sakura? Suddenly, he was hurting very badly too. He felt awful for her, that she had dealt with this for so long, and to everyone else in the village appeared at ease, even happy. It must be killing her inside.

"Oh, Sakura…" he said softly. "I'm so sorry. I wish I was there for you more. I should have protected you."

"It's not your fault, Naruto. But I think I have to go. You were only ever the only thing keeping me in Konoha, and I feel awful for leaving you, but I can't stay with him anymore. I need to go somewhere he won't ever find me."

He knew she was right. If Sasuke had gone this far, there was no trusting him now. She should put her own safety before anything else, even if it meant leaving her home and her friends.  _And me?_ "I am going with you."

"No."

"Sakura, I won't let you traipse off into the wilderness alone. Anything could happen."  _Rape, for instance,_  he added to himself angrily.

"Don't worry about me," she reassured him. "If nothing else, I am very fast." She tried her best smile, but it felt foreign on her face, and she was afraid it might look more like a grimace.

He was not convinced, but he also knew that she would not relent.  _If nothing else, Sakura, you're in the top three strongest ninjas alive._  He just could not help worrying about her. If something happened to her, he would feel awful knowing he let her go alone.

"If you ever need me, Sakura… I'd do anything for you. Anything."  _Tell me to kill him, Sakura, please. Tell me to kill him. Anything to make you happy again, even if it means I never go home and am hunted the rest of my life. Tell me to kill him, please…_

"Just assure everyone at home I am fine and don't want anyone looking for me?"

His chest constricted. He didn't know when he would ever see her again, or if he would ever see her again. He nodded, unable to find the words.  _I love you Sakura… take care of yourself, okay?_

She stood and walked to the door of the pub. He tried to fight back tears, but found them running down his face anyway. It hurt, more than he thought it would, but it would be selfish to make her stay. There was not any more room for words. She walked out of the pub, into the moonlit night. He heard Kakashi's voice in his head.  _"If you really love something, you have to set it free. It's hard. I understand."_ It was something he'd told Naruto just after Sasuke had returned. He had hated it, but he trusted Kakashi and he took it to heart.

He downed the last of his drink, then ran out the door. He'd always regret it if he didn't run to see her one last time. "Sakura!" he called. She stopped, and turned. She was beautiful, like a tragic, broken angel from a legend. He ran to her and scooped her up, holding her tight. She hugged him back. They cried together.

When he finally set her down, he felt better. "Don't forget me, Sakura," he whispered to her.

"I won't. Thank you, Naruto. You've been the best friend I could have ever asked for." She kissed his cheek.

Before long, she was gone. Naruto stared at the spot where she'd disappeared, hurting and numb. He knew he had to let her go, but he didn't have to like it. His memories drifted to all of the times they'd shared. He remembered the formation of Team Seven, and how they never really got along. He felt all the bumps and bruises Sakura had left because he'd acted out. He remembered, after he'd gotten a bit older and not quite so rambunctious, some of the more relaxed days before Sasuke returned. Between Sasuke's leaving and just a little past her sixteenth birthday, he and Sakura had been inseparable friends. They'd always hung out and taken care of each other. Naruto had thought he had a chance with her then. Her sixteenth was the best birthday yet, and he wasn't an idiot that time and actually got her something good to celebrate.

He shook his head, discarding the memory. Remembering that one would only make things worse.

Although it was normal for him to blame himself for anything that went wrong around him, he knew there was someone else more at fault. And Naruto being Naruto, it became a singular thought in his head.

_I hate you, Sasuke. You took her from me, and now she's gone to us both._


	4. New Acquaintances

Itachi knew the instant the party was broken. Sasuke stalked off alone. Itachi fought the urge to follow him and kill him quickly, but something had drawn him to the girl. It was the first time he could rememder ever feeling pity, watching his little brother beat her as if she meant nothing to him. Sasuke was an eerie visage of himself, and it made him feel like he was watching himself beat her. He'd never watched himself beat anyone, and it was a curious feeling.

 _You…loved this girl?_  He thought, incredulously. It was a long time ago, but he remembered his own parents. His father was never a very warm man, but his mother was always smiling, and took very good care of them all. The only time his father smiled was when he looked at her. He never looked  _happy_ about Itachi's training progress or Sasuke's, just content. He only seemed happy around  _her_.

This was not the way things should be for her. She should have made Sasuke's eyes soften like their mother had made their father's eyes soften.

Wait. Why did he care who his brother abused? But in an instant, he knew.  _Because he looks like me… and no one has ever cared about_ me _like that_. There had been a time when the ruthless Itachi had been a teenager, eager about life, thinking about being somebody important. He had wanted to be like his father once, and find someone that made him feel happy. And now? Now he didn't have any idea what 'happy' felt like. Or sadness, for that matter. Or any other sort of emotion.

' _Your emotions make you weak. As a Shinobi, you must kill your emotions and think only about your mission. If you do this, you cannot fail. Pain, fear, sadness, even love. These things mean nothing to the true Shinobi.'_  The words of his father. Itachi had been a good student, to the very end.

He waited outside the pub while the Jinchuuriki and the girl were inside, biding his time. When finally she left alone, he was ready to follow her, until Naruto ran out to her. He froze as they embraced, then parted.

He followed her to the edge of the village. She started crying as soon as she was free from its border. She didn't get very far before she had collapsed into a ball of tears. He watched her as one entranced, an invisible observer of a woman's private pain. He himself could never imagine feeling enough pain to appear as she did now, not over any single person. He could not tear his eyes from her as she choked out agonizing sobs.

After perhaps an hour, the pink-haired Kunoichi stood and dusted herself off, rubbing her eyes furiously and obviously preparing to run off. To his surprise she began talking to herself. "You're such an idiot, Sakura. Letting yourself get played like this. Fah! What happened to your wits? And look at you, sitting out here alone and crying about a total jerk that doesn't care whether you wake up in the morning or not. You're a ninja, for crying out loud. Think! Besides, you're making too much noise. Someone will hear."

As if she was actually having a conversation between two people by herself, she stopped talking, and did not say a word from then on. He might have laughed if he were alone, but he did not want her to be aware of his presence just yet.

Without comment, Sakura began heading in a direction perpendicular to the line between the Leaf Village and the Sand Village. There was not a path worn into the ground that way. It would be Sakura versus the wilderness through there. It also was not a direction Itachi had ever planned on going. He had other things to attend to. He turned to leave, and even made it a few steps before something weird happened.

His conscience kicked in, after all these years. He was suddenly a little concerned about her wandering off alone in enemy territory. He suffered a moment of indecision between learning how her story ended and attending to his personal agenda. In the end, he decided a break from routine was good, and followed her at a distance enough so as not to alarm her.

He trailed her for days, watching her, learning everything he could. He had stopped trying to figure out why he took such a curiosity to her and just gave in. At one of the towns she passed through he stopped and bought a festival mask, shaped like some sort of catlike creature that did not exist. Perhaps someday soon he could meet her, but he could not introduce himself as Itachi Uchiha or he'd terrify her. He bought a few other things in town as well. It seemed a few pieces of his personality had awoken, and he was craving sweets.

Soon enough, Itachi began to feel like her guardian. He watched her from the shadows of the forests and rocks, just in case she should need his help. He felt very protective, and after trying for days on end to figure out why he felt that way about the delicate ninja he dismissed the thought in frustration. It was like he didn't want her to endure any more hardships, a thought that assumed she did not deserve them. Perhaps it was because he wanted to treasure something his brother had thrown away, just to piss him off. Whatever it was, Itachi felt he needed to possess her, and decided it was time to make himself known.

* * *

 

Sakura started at the sudden appearance of the ninja in the trees up ahead. He wore a long plain black cloak, an odd choice of apparel for the hot weather. His hood was up, framing a weird mask that might have been a cat or a weasel. He didn't speak or make any move to attack; he merely stood there, waiting for her to catch up to him. She could not have guessed if he was looking for a fight or not, but she was not the type to assume the very best of people. She placed her hands on her hips and began tapping her foot. "Can I help you?" she asked condescendingly. She was not really in the mood for company either.

"The roads ahead are dangerous, and I know the territory. Would you like me to accompany you?" the ninja asked in a very smooth, lazy sounding voice. It gave her chills, though she could not have said why. It was nothing much to get excited about; it was just a voice.

With alarm she realized it was a voice lacking any sort of emotion at all. It was as if it was a voice made solely for stating facts, and unaccustomed to nonsense. A softly threatening voice.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I prefer to travel alone."  _And there's no way I am going to trust you,_  she added inwardly.

"If you prefer," he said, and proceeded to step behind a tree and disappear entirely.

 _Creepy!_  Inner Sakura screamed.  _He's like some sort of forest ghost!_

The next day the ninja reappeared at the exact same time of day, asking the exact same question. "The roads ahead are dangerous, and I know the territory. Would you like me to accompany you?" His voice made her shudder again. There was something profoundly dangerous about this man.

"I thought we went through this yesterday?" she gritted impatiently. "I make my way alone. Are you looking for a fight or something?"

The ninja shifted his head slightly to the side, as if planning on shaking his head no but changing his mind in the middle of doing it. "I do not wish to fight you. I merely intend to keep you safe."

"Why do you care?" she huffed, hiding her curiosity.

Why did he care, indeed? He paused, but chose not to answer it. "Would you like me to accompany you?" he repeated instead.

"Fine. Whatever." What was she doing? "But don't expect anything from me."

The ninja inclined his head. "Of course." She stalked past him, and he fell into stride beside her. He never tried to catch her eye, nor make conversation. Sakura had no way of knowing it was simply because he was thrilled to have been accepted at her side. It was like a game to him, a fun challenge that made his routine a little different. Every now and then she stole a glance at her strange companion. Nothing about him indicated where he had come from, who he was, or what his interest was in being near her. He seemed harmless.  _Except that I know he's anything but, somehow,_  she cautioned herself. Something about him had her on edge.

For Itachi's part, he found it incredibly amusing. Being who he was, it was paradoxical that he be standing elbow to elbow with a pretty kunoichi from the Leaf. He was well-known for having little to no emotion or means of showing them, and he'd betrayed his country as well. If anyone could see where he was right now, he'd probably be killed. Kisame would never let him hear the end of it, his flirting with his little brother's wife.

They hardly ever spoke. The time passed in silence, each for their own reasons. Sakura was trying to be miserable, as she had intended, but was distracted by her wariness of her new companion. Itachi was careful not to say anything so as not to give away who he was. It was more interesting for him to watch her think and try to guess at her thoughts than to think or talk about anything else, anyway. However, hours and then days of traveling with a silent partner did serve to make her curious, and she broke. As they were walking, her with her hands behind her head—a common sign of ease—she started a conversation. "Who are you?"

"I am no one," he replied smoothly.

"Well, then what should I call you? I mean, I can't just go around calling you weird nicknames like Mr. Mask. It makes you sound like a super-villain." She laughed. Clearly, to her that was funny, but it put a pit in his stomach when Itachi considered how accurate a term she'd assigned him.

He was silent. He could not give her his name, not yet. He didn't have the patience, either, to come up with a suitable pseudonym. "I'm your friend. Names are not important."

She frowned at him. "You know, you sort of remind me a lot of my ANBU Black Ops back at home in Konoha. You've got a mask on that resembles some sort of fantastic creature, and you can't use your name. I know why the Black Ops don't use names, but what exactly are  _you_  hiding from  _me_? I'm not anything special."

He looked at her long and hard for a moment until she noticed. "Huh?" she asked. "What is it?"

"Not anything special? That's not the attitude I am used to hearing pour out of the Leaf Village."

"Ah, you know of Konoha! Well, we're not all the same you know. These days, the top ninja are all a little different from the generation before."

"As always, I suppose."

"Right! Naruto is the number one ninja these days, and he has never tolerated arrogance or pride. All he cares about is hard work and determination. And as for me…" She looked up at the clouds. "Well, I suppose I just never really fit in anywhere. I've never really been of much use until I learned medical ninjutsu, and then some of the other techniques I learned from my master, but none of it is anything new. I'm just a continuation of other people's jutsu. I'm a good ninja, but not a particularly unique one."

Suddenly she realized how much she'd been telling this masked man, and it made her want to kick herself.  _Sakura, get ahold of yourself! You know nothing about this ninja, and he's particularly skilled. Here you are pouring out your life story. Cha! Are you crazy?!_ She cursed herself for being so desperate for lighthearted conversation that she'd trust this stranger. "I'm getting way off track. Who are you anyway?"

"I am no one," he repeated.

"Yeah, I heard you the first time you said that, but that's not good enough. I'm still a Leaf ninja, and I can't accept not knowing anything about you if we're going to be traveling together."

"Hm."

She considered his reply. "I guess I'll take that as a 'I-still-don't-plan-on-telling-you-anything.' Alright, moving on then. Why are you following me?"

He shrugged. "I wish to be your weapon." For Itachi, this had become what it was about, and he found it diverting. He enjoyed the fact that he made her squirm with curiosity, and delighted in the irony of who he really was and the easy demeanor he had masked himself with in her presence. Without the pressure of his identity and his crimes, he found himself slipping into old habits and mannerisms.  _Maybe I should wear a mask more often,_  he mused. It was nice not to be haunted by the glory of the Uchiha clan.

She raised her eyebrow. "My weapon, huh. Against what?"  _And how do I know you will be, or that you're even any good?_  She added to herself. She didn't really need an answer. Innately she understood he was insanely dangerous. It was rather intriguing, actually. On the one side, she knew he had a killer's instinct, but it was bubbling just below the surface of what appeared to be an easy-going, polite, chivalrous, and attractive-sounding young man.  _A good ally to have, at least._

"Against all the enemies of your heart… Sakura." He had come to feel this way, that Sakura had the demeanor of some sort of fallen queen. She clearly had the wits and skill to be someone very important and powerful, but was on the edge of being shattered entirely and lost forever. Something foreign to Itachi had surfaced; he felt a need to protect her at all costs, as if she had become more important than he ever could be, and as if she was unaware that she had that quality. Yes, it had become of the utmost importance to be the strong arm for the gentle girl.

Her eyes widened in shock. "How the hell do you know my name?!"

He turned to face her, his mask making his face a picture of perfect blankness. "Who, why, how… these questions do not matter. I am a weapon currently at your disposal, with a desire to rid you of pain."

Her instincts fought a battle with her wounded heart. As a ninja, she needed to know these answers. Who was this stranger? What did he want? How did he know her name? Why the strange desire to keep her safe? As a woman with a tortured psyche, she thought this was a sign that the world wanted her to be happy and she had made the right choice to leave Konoha. Was this some sort of dream, or was she dead of a broken heart? She stared at her feet as they walked in silence, her companion seemingly oblivious to her inward battle.

She took the opportunity to assess his character. She'd never seen his face, and did not know his name. She had no idea where he came from, or why he'd singled her out. It was even more bizarre that he felt a need to protect her, even though she'd never met him in her entire life. The words he said were like something out of a fairytale. He seemed to be the epitome of sugared danger… and she had to admit to herself that that had always been her favorite fantasy. It was what had drawn her to Sasuke in the first place, though the sweet and strong dichotomy was somewhat dampened by a blanket of anger. No…  _this_  particular male was the perfect blend of mystery, risk, and knight in shining armor.

 _So… he stays for now, and I trust him until he proves otherwise,_  she decided. As a ninja, it was a horrible decision, and she knew it well. She could almost hear Tsunade shriek at her for her stupidity. But, as Sakura, this was exactly what she needed right now, and she was going to try to enjoy it.  _I'm a bad girl,_  she giggled to herself.  _But I can be selfish this once. There's no one out here for me to be a role model for, anyway._

Suddenly, she bumped into something solid.  _Idiot, Sakura!_  It was the strange ninja, but he was facing away from her. She peeked around his shoulder and saw a band of maybe twenty men twice her age, all wielding an array of sharp weapons and looking as if they meant her harm. Her companion raised his arms, forming a wall of black cloak for her to hide behind. She didn't doubt her own capabilities, but twenty enemies were enough that she was glad for the help. However, she didn't need to be treated like porcelain either. She stepped around him and appeared at his side.

"Give us the doll, kitty cat," the apparent leader drawled, eyeing Sakura a little too hungrily. "And whatever money you've got, too. Times are tough." His teeth were abnormally pointed. Sakura wondered if he was entirely human. His companions formed a wall behind him, tapping their weapons on their hands or shoulders, or thumbing blades and grinning. Sakura doubted they really needed the money, but figured they were probably bullies who enjoyed picking fights. She wagered a guess that they made a good profit off of harassing passerby. That settled it.

"Alright, Mr. Mask," she said to her comrade, pulling on a pair of leather gloves. "I guess you get to prove yourself today." She rushed at the group of enemies in front of her, gathering chakra to her right hand and slamming it into the ground in front of her, breaking a massive fissure underneath 3 of the brigands-who fell to the bottom of the black abyss screaming- and causing the rest to charge at them.

"As you wish," he replied. The masked ninja leapt into the air, extracting many kunai as he did so. He flipped upside down and spun, unleashing kunai in two waves of attacks that all met their mark, and all hit separate targets. She would have stared in shock and admiration if she didn't need to finish her own offensive. The offenders each fell to the ground, clutching at their throats and gurgling as crimson blossoms bloomed from their chins.

She engaged the nearest of the remaining instigators (only a few left now) in a battle of taijutsu that she easily won. Clearly, these men had not been very well taught. Her traveling companion was playing with the last two as if they were easy prey, which they very well may have been. He dodged all of their rushes, making them crash into each other or the ground and yell unintelligibly in frustration. When he seemed to have tired of it, he dispatched them both with swarms of shuriken. Sakura neatly finished her kill and looked over to him. She smiled in satisfaction, breathing quickly.

There really was not much to say on the matter as they stared at each other. There had been enemies and now there were none. She nodded to her 'friend' in appreciation and told him thanks, to which he simply nodded, happy he was able to prove himself. After that, they continued on their way again. Something had changed though. They'd fought together as allies, and she felt as if she could really trust him now. For him, he felt like he might be considered a friend now, and he might soon be able to reveal himself without frightening her.


	5. The Art of Conversation

"So," she started again after a few minutes. "We were interrupted. You won't tell me your name, or where you're from, I assume. I can't see your face. Let's start small. Do you have any family?"

 _That's small?_  He wondered dubiously. "Not really," he answered simply. It was probably better if he didn't explain that one.

"Oh. Sore subject, I guess," she said slowly, trying but failing to pick out his expressions from his mask. "It's sort of difficult making conversation when I don't have anything to base it off," she added reluctantly. "Maybe you could offer something?"

"Hm. I don't have a lot to offer, really. I am pretty good at fighting. It's all I've really ever known." It was true, but it wasn't enough, and she proved it when she looked rather disappointed. He tried to delve a little deeper. "I love sweets. I used to get in trouble when I was little because I always spoiled my dinner. My father beat me pretty good a few times until I finally stopped eating them."

"Aww, that's sad. I like sweets, but since learning medicine, I've been on sort of a health kick. I know what sugar does to a person now and I am trying to avoid it. But, cupcakes are the truth. My mom used to make the best chocolate cupcakes." Her eyes drifted off to a far away place. "Mmm, I bet chocolate cupcakes go great with a nice glass of cherry wine."

"I was never much of a drinker myself. It makes men violent, and I try not to fight too much." He cringed behind the mask. He'd seen so many drunken fights… Why was the world obsessed with breaking itself?

"But you said fighting was all you've ever really known. You're confusing me now." She raised an eyebrow at him.

He nodded. "Yeah, my father always wanted me to be really good at it. I never got to do most of the things I wanted to do. I was stronger than my dad before I was half his age, but it meant I never really did anything fun."

"Yeah, that sounds familiar," she muttered. "Too bad."

He was surprised, momentarily. "Your father was like that, too?"

"No," she said sadly. "My husband's. Even though his father is dead, he still tries to make him proud."

 _I should never have opened my big mouth,_  he admonished himself. He was reminded clearly of why he didn't talk much. So much easier to look cool and dangerous than it was to just blabber on and make himself look like a total idiot. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," she lamented. "I don't want to talk about him anyway."

"Then don't," he said simply. "Tell me about you."

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "I already told you, I'm nothing special."

"And I already told you, I'm no one," he said.

She huffed a small laugh. "So, you're No One and I'm Nothing Special. My, what a pair we make. We ought to start our own clan and be the 'No one good, talented, intelligent, attractive, powerful, or influential ever comes out of this clan' clan."

Itachi stopped walking for a second. Sakura continued for a pace or two before she realized he'd stopped. She looked over her shoulder, surprised. He appeared to be shaking, or trembling. "Hey, are you alright?" He didn't answer. "Was it something I said?" She started to move toward him before she heard it.

It started really low and quiet, as if it was the spark of the beginning of all laughter, shy about its very existence. Then it started to pick up volume and power, until by the end of it, he was doubled over, laughing until tears were running down his face—although Sakura could not see those. She started giggling, too. "Hey!" she chuckled. "Stop it! You're making me laugh now. It wasn't even that funny."

"I can't help it!" He choked. "And it  _hurts!_ "

They laughed together, without really even understanding why, until their sides hurt and their eyes were watering. When finally the last stubborn dregs of mirth had drained from them both, they stopped in a field and flopped down onto their backs, tired from the day. "Wow," he said to her. "I honestly can't remember the last time I laughed like that."

She snorted. "I still don't see what was so funny."

He shook his head. "Me either."

She closed her eyes, letting the sun warm her face. This was nice. She didn't want to say it, but she could not remember the last time she had laughed like that, either. Who was this magical presence in her life that had already brought her such easy joy? She pondered at what the face behind the mask looked like, like she and Team Seven had about Kakashi's mask and face, but this was different. With Kakashi, it was a game, simply because it was unknown. For this guy, she already had a special place in her heart for him that she merely wished to attach a name or face to, preferably both.

 _If he's half as gorgeous as he acts, I might never go home,_ she thought as the sun kissed the horizon to the west.

Her companion rolled onto one elbow and began digging around in his pack. "Hungry?" he asked, as he managed to emerge victorious with a couple of apples in one hand. "What have we got?"

Sakura extracted what provisions she had—some supplies she had for making rice, some preserved meat, and some hard candies to chew on—while the ninja she had become friends with somehow had managed to pack some fresh fruit and bread. Sakura felt her stomach growl angrily, as if to berate her for her poor choice in food quality.

 _Shut up stomach! We're supposed to be miserable!_ She was finding it increasingly difficult to be self-deprecating and upset every day with such a distracting companion. If she were still alone on her little adventure she would surely be in a world of hurt, ignoring the world as it passed by aimlessly and crying herself to sleep. This guy just made her curious. She wanted to know who he was, and why he thought she should be his object.

She was rewarded in moments though, when her comrade lifted his mask to eat without so much as a word. He sank his teeth into an apple, lounging back on his elbows and staring off into the woods at something, perfectly at ease. She thought for sure if she had too many more surprises her tattered heart would explode. At first she was incredulous. He looked like an older version of Sasuke! She had to remind herself it could not be. Sasuke had no idea where she was, and anyway, his voice was incredibly different.  _And Sasuke can't shoot kunai like that,_ she remembered. He had lines worn into his cheeks, deer-like black eyes, and longer hair than Sasuke, too. It was gathered into a ponytail that ran down his back.

For all his looks he could have been Sasuke's older br—oh, shit.


	6. Itachi!

Her blood froze.  _Itachi!_

He turned his gaze to her and stopped chewing. "Hm?"

She blinked in confusion before she realized she must have said his name out loud. Finding her wits, she scrambled off her seat and right into a fighting stance, kunai at the ready. Itachi did not even flinch. He just shook his head ruefully and made a motion with his hand indicating she should sit down. "Get up and fight me, Itachi Uchiha!" she screamed at him.

He finished swallowing his bite and threw the core into the woods. He shook his head again. "I don't want to fight you Sakura," he said calmly in that smooth voice of his. "I said I wanted to protect you."

"Against all the enemies of my heart, yes I remember," she spat bitterly. "That's  _you._  You made Sasuke what he is.  _You_  are the reason I'm out here right now and not at home with the man I love!" She knew it wasn't true, but out here, facing her husband's elder brother, she wanted it to be true. It meant she had an answer. Kill Itachi, defeat the problem.

"Sakura, I've done nothing." Itachi said pointedly, completely at ease. He still had not moved. He still looked perfectly comfortable, lounging back on his elbow.

It made her feel silly, standing at the ready against someone who looked as one enjoying a Sunday evening sunset. It made her angry, and the tears threatened to start flowing. Her hands started shaking. "You killed your own family," she accused, still finding it difficult to comprehend. She was pissed off; how could someone so treacherous and evil be so nice to her and make her want to like him anyway? She found her heart trying to justify his actions, and her brain trying to beat her heart into submission.

"Yes, I did. Would you like to know why?"

 _Yes!_ "It doesn't matter! It's made him into a beast. All he cares about is killing you!"  _He doesn't even care about_ me. She felt a lump in her throat.  _I am_ not _crying in front of Itachi Uchiha!_

"This is hardly lunch conversation, Sakura. Perhaps we can discuss this later."

"We will discuss this  _now!_ " she shouted at him.

He inclined his head slightly. "As you wish." He took a drink of water and then breathed in deep, exhaling as a sigh. "The Uchiha clan was a clan drunk on its own power. All they ever cared about was control. My father controlled Sasuke and me, forcing us to only ever get stronger, bending us to his will, molding us into believing the Uchiha clan was the only thing worth fighting  _for_. We were not allowed to play with anyone else because it meant time taken away from training and milling about with lesser people."

He watched her carefully, but she was listening. Her hands had stopped shaking, as she was momentarily distracted from her pain.

"The Uchiha elders had devised a plot. The best way to gain more power for the Uchiha clan was to control the Leaf Village. They meant to kill the Hokage and take their place at the head of all of Konoha. No Uchiha was exempt from the plan, not even my mother. Not a single Uchiha, except for one."

"Sasuke," she whispered.

He nodded, barely. "My foolish little brother, Sasuke Uchiha. He was the only innocent in my entire damned clan. I had two choices, in the end. I could put a stop to their greedy quest for control, put a stop to the emotionless power-wielding drones that the Uchiha clan churned out like myself, or I could let them win. I could have let them destroy the Leaf Village as you know it, and if I did, your Sasuke would, by now, be an even bigger monster than he is."

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked, shocked. Of course, no one in the Leaf Village had heard this story. "Why didn't you tell the Hokage?" She knew the answer before she asked, but she needed to hear it.

"If my father or the other Uchiha had found out I planned to tell anyone, I'd have been quietly killed, and there was no guarantee that I'd be believed. The best and most efficient way was to kill them all. Better to let everyone believe they were innocent, and to put one lone rogue killer at large to blame." It was not quite the whole truth, but it was close enough.

She pieced together all the information in her head and struggled to make sense of it. "Wow. Um. Okay. So, Sasuke…?" She didn't really have a complete question, but had hoped he would come up with something to explain her troubled husband.

"Sasuke was supposed to kill me. I've lived with the dying faces of my mother and father burned into my memory for years now. They kiss me goodnight every night drenched in their own blood. I knew I did what was right, but it does not ease the suffering I've endured because of it. Sasuke should only have ever planned to harm  _me_. It was a mistake to let him live. For a while now I have enjoyed that he was also in pain, as it made mine easier to bear, but I have seen what he has become. He harms everyone around him. I won't make the mistake of letting him live again."

Her eyes widened. "He's… he's my husband, Itachi," she said, her face falling sadly.

He studied her face. "No, he's not. Not anymore." She turned to him confused. He stood and strode to her. He grasped her face in one hand and turned it, making the mark on her face visible. "This is proof that he has forfeited his rights to you," he said quietly. "And I will make certain that this never happens again. He has harmed you the most, and it is my responsibility to bear." As he said those words, it dawned on him that this was the answer. He was responsible for her well being because his neglect had led to her pain.

The tears did come then. She had no idea that his words could ever hurt her, but they did. Not because they were words intended to hurt, but because they filled a place in her heart that was mostly destroyed. She'd been so miserable that something so sweet caused an ache through her soul. He had said them so easily, too, as if it were obvious. She knew that everything he had said to her was true. It was Sasuke's fault he was the way he was, not hers, not even Itachi's. Iruka had lost his parents too. Naruto never had parents, and Naruto would never have hurt her.

_Naruto… I hope you're OK. Thank you for trying to protect me._

She didn't know she had collapsed until she felt his arms around her. She was too exhausted to do anything about it, though. He sat her next to him and wrapped his cloak around both of them. Had she been shivering? She felt strange.

"Sakura, eat," his voice commanded. She opened her eyes and saw a spoonful of rice in front of her. When had he made rice? She opened her mouth, admitted the rice, and chomped down. Somehow, the motion brought her back to herself. She told him thank you, and took the bowl from his hands.

She had a lot to think about, and was suddenly thinking a lot more clearly.


	7. Star Studded Rainfall

"Where is she?" Sasuke bellowed at him.

"I don't know, Sasuke!" he yelled back. "Maybe if you didn't hit her every time she came into view she wouldn't need to run away!"

"Maybe if she didn't practically beg me to hit her I wouldn't! She's so stupid, it makes me insane."

"No, you're just insane," Naruto grumbled.

"What did you say?"

"I said you're insane!"

Sasuke shoved him to the ground. Naruto caught himself just in time and turned it into a roll, ending on his feet. Sasuke had both his hands clenched into fists. He had that killer's look in his eyes again. "You don't want to fight me, Sasuke." Naruto growled in a low voice. "You know what I can do, and it scares you."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed in hate. They both knew it was true. Sasuke was low man among the three of them now. Years of hard work and training had made Sakura into one of the finest, and her medical skills had made her the most valuable ninja in Konoha, if not the strongest, and she'd always had that perfect chakra control to make her that much better. Naruto had spent time with Jiraiya and could control the Kyuubi's chakra to frightening proportions. Just a blast of focused chakra could tear Sasuke to bits, and that would be without Naruto even trying.

 _You should have asked me to kill him, Sakura,_  he said to himself.  _I would have done it. It would be so easy._  But she hadn't, and he couldn't until she did.

However, as Naruto and Sakura had surpassed Sannin level in power, Sasuke had barely moved. Kakashi was too busy to train him, and even if he wasn't, Sasuke was a very difficult pupil who never showed any gratitude. Sasuke had trained with Orochimaru for a time, but since returning, he'd forfeited his chance to continue that, and from then on most available jonin regarded him as tainted somehow and refused to take him on. Instead, he'd been training by himself, with no one to practice with, and had showed little improvement. He was average for a jonin, but either Naruto or Sakura could easily defeat him if necessary.

The whole situation was ironic. He'd left to find power and in returning, had made his quest impossible.

Sasuke turned away from him. "I'm going to find her. And when I do, Naruto," he added, emphasizing each syllable with deadly calm, "I'm going to kill her. No one runs from me," he finished with a snarl. With that, he disappeared.

 _No!_  Naruto felt his belly tighten with fear. Against anyone else, Sakura could handle herself, but against Sasuke… her feelings for him might make her hesitant, and any hesitation in the fights between capable ninja almost certainly meant death.

He had to find Sakura! He knew he had an advantage over Sasuke, though. For starters, he knew what direction she had gone, and honed fox senses could track both her scent  _and_ her chakra signature. It didn't take him long to find her trail. The scent of it had long grown cold, but the sweet and spicy sensations of her chakra still gave him chills. It was a risk to trail her this way. It would take him longer to find her, but he knew for certain that he could.

He just had to beat Sasuke to where she was.  _Dammit, Sakura! Why didn't you tell me to kill him!_ his mind screamed as he began tracking the only person in the world who had ever really been precious to him.

* * *

 

When her eyelids fluttered open, it was dark. She started, remembering what had happened, and looked around. Itachi was nowhere to be seen. Loneliness crowded her, and she drew her knees up to her chest, warding away the pain of being alone again.  _See, Sakura… he was never any different._  In her heart, she knew that he was, but she could not handle that right now.

A lone teardrop escaped her eye, making a lazy trail down her cheek and over the mark that Sasuke had left upon her face. After it dropped off her chin, she tried her best to quell the sorrow by embracing her Shinobi teachings. Ninja conduct dictated that on difficult missions, it was best to never show emotion, no matter what you were feeling at any given moment. That rule was invented to help Shinobi survive the surges of emotion that resulted from watching comrades fall in battle. For her purposes, it was ideal to kill the pain she was feeling by severing her connection with her shattered heart. Much easier to let herself grow cold to any emotions and shut out everyone.  _Even Naruto?_

That caused a sharp pain that lanced through her protective mental barriers. Naruto had always been there for her, no matter what. She knew he had always liked her, but he'd put on his best face when she'd married Sasuke. He'd been happy  _for_ her, because  _she_  was happy. He'd been there for her when she cried that Sasuke was hurting her. He'd been there for her at the end, and he'd let her go when all he wanted to do was be near her. But Naruto had never been able to keep her safe from Sasuke, because he believed that despite everything, that was where she had wanted to be. Another tear broke free from the coldness she had tried to wrap around her heart.

And Itachi… Itachi was going to kill Sasuke, whether Sakura believed he still loved her or she loved him or not. And he was going to do it simply because he'd abused her. Silently she had to admit to herself that there were things about both of them that she loved, and she was grateful to them. She didn't feel as if she deserved either of them, if she was going to be honest. She wondered if that was where Itachi was now, somewhere out there with a hand wrapped around her husband's throat. It did little to ease her aches.

A flash of light streaked past her eyes. She didn't notice or care. The thought was gone as fast as it had formed. But then, another.  _Fireflies?_  It had to be. But did fireflies fall straight down? Another one shot past, this one a flash of brilliant blue. Suddenly, it was as if it was raining stars. Bright sparks of red, purple, yellow, white, and blue began rushing down out of the sky, disappearing a moment before striking the ground. She felt her breath hitch at the sight of it.  _It's…gorgeous!_ She stood up and walked to the center of the small clearing, allowing the sparks to fall around her. Where they struck her she felt a cold pinprick, nothing more. She lifted her arms and spun in a circle, reveling in the anomaly, breathing deeply and easily. It was the best she'd felt in  _years!_  She felt a smile on her face; a true, heartfelt smile that flashed all of her teeth. She laughed, and began dancing in the shower of stars.

Something caught her eye, and she stopped. It was a pair of blood-red eyes, attached to a soft, warm-looking smile. His arms were folded across his chest, and he had one foot tucked behind his other leg, leaning for all the world like a lazy wolf against a tree. "Itachi?"

He glided like a silent predator to where she stood. She noticed belatedly that he was wearing a black cloak with a red cloud pattern—his Akatsuki cloak; the realization made her heart race, simply because of her frightening experiences with Akatsuki, but at the same time, at least he was finally being fully honest. As he neared her, the stars around them began to explode into tiny fireworks midair. "Do you like them?" he asked her quietly, glancing up at his handiwork.

Her heart clenched. Of course! He'd worked a genjutsu on her. Normally, though, genjutsu was used as a battle strategy, to disorient the opponent. She'd never seen one worked for pure pleasure. "It's the most beautiful thing anyone has ever done for me," she replied honestly.

He stopped when he arrived within reach. His eyes captivated her. She'd only ever seen the Sharingan when Sasuke or Kakashi had the bloodline limit focused on an enemy. It had been angry, then, barbed and the color of freshly spilled blood. It had meant harm, and had always impressed her but caused her trepidation. Itachi's were under half-lidded eyes, and held no malice in them. He was looking at her in such a way she had never seen, not even from Sasuke. "I'm glad," he said softly.

She hugged him, hoping it was adequate thanks, wrapping her arms around him beneath his cloak. He returned it, curling one arm around her back and resting the other hand upon her hair. With her cheek pressed against his chest, she watched the stars rain down around her, smiling. Cradled in the arms of the most dangerous criminal on earth, she felt a security blanket wrap around her body. This was a safe place. "Thank you, Itachi."

She could not see it, but he smiled back. "You're welcome, Sakura." As a breeze swept over both of them, Itachi started. He'd felt the dampness on her face. "Sakura? You've been crying."

She nodded against his chest.

She felt his arm tighten around her, then relax. "Would you tell me? What makes someone feel so much pain, enough to shed tears like you do?"

"It's just me being a silly little girl. It's nothing to be worried about. I'll get over it."

He hesitated. "I think that's just your way to act strong when you feel broken. What's really bothering you?" His words made her want to laugh and cry at the same time. He was exactly right. She was still trying to act tougher than she felt inside.  _I guess there's no way to fool Itachi Uchiha,_  she thought morosely.

She hesitated. "When you've been treated like dirt by the one you hold most dear enough so that everything around you seems like a bitter shadow, it makes everything different. When you spend day after day steeping in misery, it makes even the smallest whim of beauty even more painful than the things that hurt you. Pleasure, pain… when there are moments of both, it's the cruelest form of torture. I thought I was alone again tonight. That's all. And that's all it took to shatter any repair I'd done to myself."

"Ah. I understand now." Her words troubled him. He'd been against the bosom of the Shinobi teachings for most of his life. One emotion was hardly unlike another… until very recently. "I'm sorry for scaring you like that." He meant it.

"It's nothing. I'm alright now." She meant it.


	8. Convergence

Naruto's nose wrinkled when he picked up the second scent. The scent itself was faint, but fresh, like a day after rain. But the chakra signature… it was overwhelming, acid, and had not faded at all like Sakura's had.

And, more troubling, it smelled a bit like Sasuke's, but too much, like if Sasuke were a total badass and had more chakra. His gut told him it might be Itachi, but that was bordering on the impossible. Itachi had not been seen or heard from since Sasuke took off after him. It had been mostly accepted by everyone—except Sasuke, of course—that someone else had beaten the younger Uchiha to the punch and killed Itachi. Naruto himself had believed that the other Akatsuki had done him in years ago.

His brow furrowed with worry.  _Oh, Sakura… who is with you now?_  He wondered if she was at least safe with her new companion. However, being who he was, and all he had gone through, he was most inclined to believe that this was an enemy. He picked up his pace.

Besides, if at all possible, he  _needed_  to get to her before Sasuke did.

* * *

 

Sakura woke without opening her eyes. She felt very warm. It did not take her long to realize she was using Itachi's lap as a pillow, and one of his hands was resting on her head. It surprised her some that this realization did not alarm her, even in the slightest. In fact, it was a very soft lap, and one that did not seem to wish her harm. She sighed and smiled, and was glad that she had at last found something comfortable.

_I'm the top Leaf kunoichi next to the Hokage herself, and I'm dozing in the intimate regions of a member of the Akatsuki. Ha. Isn't that something?_

Itachi registered that she had awoken, and was pleased that she had not decided to move yet. She was a welcome weight in his lap, and put his troubled mind at ease. Strange that any other human being could be such a salve for the soul. She was not even trying, but truly softened his morale.

He'd spend more time ruminating on the feelings it stirred, but he had another matter to attend to, and it was becoming increasingly urgent.

"Someone's nearing, Sakura. We need to move," Itachi told her calmly.

"Who is it?" she asked sleepily, stifling a yawn.

"It doesn't matter. We have to leave." He paused. "Will you come with me?" He looked down at the languorous pink-haired kunoichi in his lap. He ran his hand through her hair.

Her eyes widened.  _What?_

Her head snapped up and caught his eyes. There was a promise there, one that thrilled her and scared her at once. His gaze was a balm to her broken heart, so calm and peaceful, no malice in them at all. It was too sweet, and almost made her think it was a trick. The fleeting doubt only made her hate Sasuke more, that he could ruin her emotions so. The moment she realized it was Sasuke that caused her doubt in Itachi was the moment she realized that she  _did_  want to go with him, even if it was quite soon to feel that way.  _So what?_

She nodded. He scooped her up out of his lap and placed her on her feet as he stood. "Then let's go." They took off, Itachi leading her in the direction away from the approaching ninja. He did not mean to let them catch up to him and Sakura.

The pace he set was grueling, almost inhuman, but she had been the fastest jonin in the Leaf Village for years, and keeping up was minimally troublesome. Her chakra control was perfect, and concentrating a bit at the balls of her feet was an easy task that could keep her running for days.

It was not until the sun disappeared that she understood that Itachi was not stopping for a night's rest. She figured that, in his mind, he did not believe a loss of sunlight was reason enough to let down their guard. She'd never considered before what had made Itachi such an excellent ninja. She imagined that it was because he never took shortcuts, never allowed himself any weakness. It was a marvel that he was so relentless on the limits of his own body. Did she have that sort of willpower, somewhere within her?

It was midday on the third day that Itachi suddenly stopped. He dropped down to the ground, then walked calmly out of the woods and into a patch of grass. "What is it?" she whispered to him, but she already knew the answer. This place was a decent size for a battle.

"We will meet him," he told her softly. "Stay sharp, but stay out of it. This particular fight… is not yours." He caught her eyes, trying to relay a measure of command.

She read them properly. Whoever was approaching had personal business with Itachi Uchiha, and he did not want her to be involved.  _At least it has nothing to do with my capabilities, or lack thereof, as it has so often in my life._  She nodded to show she understood. His line of sight returned to his path. After a few more long strides, he stopped and turned to look the way he had come.

Sakura waited, standing tall at Itachi's side. She looked up into his face, just to see what he might be thinking. His head was slightly tilted to the side, the barest hint of a smile on his face.  _Whatever it is that is about to happen is something he is excited about, in one way or another,_  she thought. She took a deep breath, trying to ready for… whatever it was.

She could not have been more unprepared.


	9. Showdown

She heard the footfalls on the trees and the whipping branches before she saw him. When Sasuke walked into view, his face was not one she had ever seen before. His eyes were wild, untamed, and frigid. She shivered as he leaned lazily against a tree and crossed his arms over his chest like an eerie image of his brother. "Well, well, well, if it isn't my wayward wife and my treacherous brother. Cozy now, are we?" His voice was too cheerful. Sakura felt her blood chill. Odd that the one hailed as the 'good son' of the Uchiha Clan was the one that frightened her more.

Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly. "My foolish little brother. Sasuke."

"I'll deal with you in a minute. I have some business with my…  _wife._ " His eyes hardened when they fell on her. "So. Now you're fucking murderers. Bet you're real proud of yourself. Come home, Sakura," he cooed. "You know I miss you." His mouth curled in a sneer. The way he said his words was not in a tone she had ever heard before. It seemed twisted, somehow, like he was trying to say something awful but in a pleasant way.

"Your business with Sakura is business with me. She's no longer your wife," Itachi said flatly.

"I suppose you've married her then? I have documentation. Mind your own business."

"A man who treats his wife like he treats a slave is not a man at all. I believe the benediction goes something like, 'I now pronounce you man and wife.' This means you, being less than a man, have no rights to a wife." He squared his stance. Sakura could faintly hear the grind of metal against metal as he drew steel in the hidden confines of the oversized cloak sleeve. "You will deal with me. We have an old score to settle. I believe you intended to kill me…? And,  _I_  mean to right an old wrong."

Sasuke's jaw clenched. "An old wrong, eh? What might that be? You were the one who killed your entire family…except me. I'm an  _avenger_!" His fists clenched, and he could visibly be seen to be trembling.

His eyes softened with something akin to regret. "I should never have let you live that night. You're nothing but a blemish in the fabrics of life on this miserable planet."

Sakura felt her heart swell and flutter at Itachi's words. Something within her had still expected to be left to fend for herself when the going got tough. She was just too accustomed to being hurt and abused. It made her feel a little braver face Sasuke and say what she should have said long ago.

"I'm not going back with you, Sasuke," she said shakily.

His line of sight snapped back to her. "You have a duty to your husband," he grated at her.

"Why? So you can punch me in the face, maybe break my jaw this time, and diddle the barmaid? I  _had_ a husband I loved! But it was all a lie.  _You_  were all a lie! You  _used_ me!" she shrieked at him, charged with years of hurt and anger. "I'm not your…  _plaything_ … any longer. I won't be your subservient woman anymore. Go home, Sasuke, and forget you ever knew me. We will both be happier this way. You can do whatever you want, and maybe I will get a second chance at the life I thought I had."

Sasuke feigned a pout, mocking her pain. "I'm sorry you feel that way, Sakura. You see," he crooned as he began walking towards them, "I came here intending to kill you." Her eyes widened. "Such a delight you giftwrapped Itachi for me, too. Now I can finish you both." He drew his kunai and held it at ready, his eyes going as cold as the unfeeling steel in his hand.

Her heart started pounding. She had faced death innumerable times, and yet, now she was finally scared she might die. It did not seem to matter how much she had hated Sasuke. She just could not find it in her to cause him physical harm. Despite it all, her memories were replaying all the moments in her mind that she had been sure proved Sasuke's love for her. It was hard to believe her life had come to this moment.

"Sakura," Itachi's calm voice broke in, "get back." She stared at him, frozen in place, feeling paralyzed from the toes up. "Sakura," he repeated more gently. "Trust me, and stand back. Don't get involved, no matter what happens." His eyes were calming, so sure in his own abilities, that she nodded. Her senses seemed to snap back into place. She distanced herself from the pair of Uchiha, giving them the ground they needed for their battle to the death.

Sasuke shot her one last angry glare before focusing his full attention on Itachi. "Perfect. I'd rather kill you first anyway. Sakura's not much of a challenge. It will be my pleasure to finally put our family's souls at rest."

"Don't kid yourself, foolish little brother. It has not been about that for years now. You no longer feel sadness that our parents died by my hand. You no longer harbor any need to avenge a dead clan. It's not even because you hate me anymore." He waited a minute, letting his words take full effect. "You feel inadequate, and the only way you can feel powerful again is to defeat everyone around you, but you can't even do that. Your friends, your wife, your teachers, me… we're all stronger than you can ever hope to be. I once told you that you needed more hate to become stronger than me. In some ways I, too, have been foolish. Your hate has crippled your skills as a ninja. It has made you blind, arrogant, selfish, destructive. Everything you touch deteriorates. Your only hope has been to beat me, because I'm the only one you have not attempted to fight yet. And I assure you, this is not a fight you can win. It's useless."

Sasuke's face contorted into something ugly. He roared in anger and charged at Itachi, drawing out handfuls of shuriken and flinging them with all his might. Itachi did not move until the last second, then drew his kunai and parried them all, mindful of the kunoichi awaiting him behind the fight. Moments later, Sasuke himself came at him, throwing a foot at his head. Itachi merely leaned out of the way, grabbing his ankle and twisting it painfully. Sasuke whipped his body out of the rough grip, dropping and swinging a kick to sweep his legs. Itachi easily stepped back to avoid it, then whipped his knee up to catch Sasuke in the chin. It sent him flying, but he managed to alter the flight into a backflip and landed on his feet.

Sasuke wiped a trail of blood off his mouth. He'd bitten his tongue with that knock to the face. Before long, he charged back into Itachi's reach, attempting another flurry of physical attacks.

It went on that way for a while, Sasuke charging and trying to best Itachi with physical taijutsu, Itachi outmaneuvering every offensive. It was clear to Sakura what Itachi was doing, but Sasuke did not seem to be getting it; Itachi was wearing him out. Without even breaking a sweat, Itachi had driven Sasuke to exhaustion.

"You're finished already?" Itachi mused.

Sasuke was panting, but despite that, he grinned. "Oh no, I'm just warming up." Sakura knew what was coming next. All he could do now, really, was ninjutsu. Sasuke was pathetic as a genjutsu user. She was very intimate with that fact. Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw him form the familiar hand signs. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Fire jetted from Sasuke's mouth toward Itachi. Not fast enough; Itachi moved out of the way, just like before. "Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" As Itachi skirted the original flames in a semi circle around their creator, smaller fireballs dogged his steps.

Sakura watched the battle unfold intently. She hated to admit it, but she was worried that, despite all of his innumerable strengths and abilities as a ninja, maybe Itachi would get hurt, and she owed it to him to watch his back. He'd brought her more peace than she'd felt in the past several years.

Suddenly, she saw the critical moment. Sasuke had somehow managed to get behind Itachi, and he had his Chidori at ready. He was not charging though… this was something she had not seen before. She wondered if it was something Orochimaru had taught to Sasuke, or something he had learned on his own.

The Chidori shot from Sasuke's hand, dividing into three electrically charged serpents, intertwining and racing toward Itachi.

Itachi had barely seemed to notice. His attention was still focused on the space in front of him, where Sasuke should have been.

"Itachi!" she tried to warn him. But that was no good; he turned his attention toward her, worry clear on his face. He had misinterpreted and thought  _she_ was in trouble.  _Oh no!_  Her feet moved before her brain did.

"SAKURA, NO!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, and P.S., I freaking hate Sasuke, if you have not figured it out yet. I like to make him an emotionally weak, unlikable character so you can get a sense of my hate. If I do write about him, it's usually going to be in a negative light. That's the beauty of writing. :D


	10. Don't Remember Me

"SAKURA, NO!"

Naruto had come at the wrong moment. He stared in horror as Sasuke's three-headed Chidori shot through a wall of fire and through Sakura's chest and neck. Itachi had noticed in the last second but, being too far away to intervene physically, he had leaped into the air and shot his fireball jutsu in the desperate space between. Both watched in shock as her eyes bulged from her skull. The terrifying jutsu emerged from her dorsal side, just as malicious as it had been when it entered, and escaped into the forested space behind her.

She had always been the fastest Leaf.

"NOOOOOO!" Naruto cried, emphasized by the tones of the fox spirit within him. He raced at Sasuke. In each hand he held a Rasengan, ready to tear him to shreds. One of his tails emerged as the distance closed, gurgling its frightening red and hissing with heat. The air around him wavered as intense heat distorted it.

Itachi's eyes remained forced open and paralyzed. A cold bead of sweat formed in the space between his eyebrows. He had not anticipated this, nor the frozen spike of fear stabbing through his heart. It gave Sasuke the chance he needed. He charged at Itachi as his elder brother landed on the ground, and drove the Chidori straight through his heart.

Eyes wide and staring, Itachi slumped forward over the arm of his little brother. He coughed a bubble of blood from his mouth. Sasuke smirked. Sakura and Itachi were both as good as dead. Now, everything would be fine, except for one more thing…

Naruto was gaining on Sasuke. Just as Itachi's corpse slid off of Sasuke and he was able to turn toward his former friend, Naruto crashed into him. Sasuke blocked both Rasengan without much difficulty since Naruto's behavior was so erratic, but Naruto in feral rage did not even notice or care. His eyes had gone pure white as the fox began to take over. The first tail was fully formed already, and the second was on its way. Both Rasengans' dissolution had only served to free his claws, and had been a relief. What followed next was the most aggressive flurry of finishing moves ever witnessed.

Locked in physical combat, Sasuke found himself at a tremendous disadvantage. Naruto was lost to the fight. His attacks were coming faster and faster, and as the second tail finished forming, his power increased as well. He was too fast, and too strong. Sasuke did not have time to form hand signs or do anything really besides defend. It was not long before the barrage of attacks had him stepping backward and shielding his face. Finally, he stumbled backward, unable to hold back the fury that was Naruto any longer. He knew it was the end.

Naruto scrambled onto his chest and began pummeling his face, growling and yelling the whole time in grief and anger. Sasuke tried to cover his face but Naruto was punching too hard. It did little to cushion the blows.

It was a swift and messy end for the younger Uchiha.

* * *

 

Naruto barely remembered the moment when he came to. All he remembered was leaning over Sakura, tired and grieving, and crying. He didn't even notice when Itachi's lifeless corpse poofed out of existence. Clad in his Akatsuki cloak, Itachi knelt down beside Naruto, who still did not seem to notice, or maybe just didn't care. He looked down at the girl sorrowfully, and laid a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto flinched. "It was a shadow clone, the whole time?"

"Yes. She didn't have to save me at all." His coal black eyes, eyes that had always been renowned for their frigid bleakness, were filled with every emotion he'd never been able to admit feeling. Regret, love, pain... all of the flooded from the depths of the Uchiha's soul. With no one to gaze into them, no one would ever witness the revelation that the most feared member of the Akatsuki had ever felt an emotion at all, but there it was, for whomsoever dared to peer into the depths.

"Sakura was always too caring," Naruto mumbled. It didn't make sense otherwise. Sakura had an innate sense for illusions. She should have known it was just a shadow clone, but her worrying had addled her wits. Naruto had known for a long time that Sakura had reached her lowest point in her life. It only served to heighten his sense of guilt. It was always easier that way. If he could pretend it was all his fault, he could have a solid reason for it. Frustration became energy that could be directed to ensuring it never happened again. This time, though, it was too late. He had screwed up, and this was beyond his ability to repair.

Itachi interrupted his self loathing with an earth shattering announcement. "She's not dead, Naruto," he stated, waving a hand over her closed and tightly shut eyes, but it sounded so sad, one would never have guessed he was orating good news.

"She's not?!" He put his ear to her chest. Indeed, her heart was beating, steadily, but very slowly. She was barely holding on. "Alright!" His face lit up, and he looked to Itachi, whose expression was so mournful, he just had to ask. "What's wrong?" He remembered something, a tickle that bothered the back of his mind. "Is it Sasuke?"

Naruto glanced over to where Sasuke's body was. In his own mind he assumed Itachi had killed his former friend. He didn't remember beating his face into the ground. He could care less. Sasuke had hurt Sakura for the very last time, and he was no longer too ashamed to admit he wanted Sasuke dead.

Itachi closed his eyes, feeling an unfamiliar emotion beating at his psyche. "She's alive, but her memory is damaged."

"Her memory? How do you know?"

"My genjutsu cannot reach the receptors in her brain. My genjutsu needs the thoughts, feelings, and fears of others to be efficient, so my chakra is able to probe those centers in the brain. Hers does not let me in anymore."

"So that means…"

"She won't remember me, or anything else that has happened recently."

His face grew grim. "How recently?'

"I cannot tell. A while." He breathed a deep sigh, then leaned over her. He ran his hand through her hair and brought it around to frame one side of her face. "I don't know why, but… she was so precious to me, even from the beginning."

Naruto recognized the look in Itachi's face. "I know the feeling," he muttered in understanding. "Sakura was always like that."

He turned to Naruto with a tincture of surprise evident and regarded the nine-tails Jinchuriki in a different way. "You love her, too, don't you?"

Brilliant blue eyes met hard black. He shook his head. "No, Itachi Uchiha,  _you_  love her, too."

A moment of understanding occurred, forming an unlikely and tenuous bond between the two men. Itachi stood then, lifting Sakura up into his arms. She was very light. Her eyebrows were drawn together, making her look worried. She had a bead of sweat between them. He hugged her gently to him, and kissed her worried brow, imagining to himself that it might set her at ease. To his sweet surprise, her face relaxed. He smiled.

A moment later, the impassiveness that was generally Itachi returned. It was time to be serious. "Naruto." The blonde ninja's expression lost its fuzziness as well. He also sensed it was time to be serious. "Take Sakura back to the village.  _I_ killed Sasuke—"

Naruto appeared confused. "Well, duh. I watched you shoot the fireball jutsu at him." It took Itachi a minute to realize that Naruto did not understand what he'd done.

"You killed him, Naruto," he stated.

"No I didn't." He looked over at Sasuke. Noticed where he'd scratched his face. Remembered the failed Rasengan as he'd charged… but nothing else. A knot formed in his gut as it dawned on him. "Oh. Yeah, you killed Sasuke." His hands shook. He never thought that the story would end like this.

"I killed Sasuke. I hurt Sakura. Let the Leaf believe this. Take care of her. Her and I were never meant to be." It choked him to say those words, but he knew she'd never belong with him as long as he was Akatsuki, dishonored by the Leaf. It was a dream and nothing more.

"I'll say you killed Sasuke, Itachi, but Sasuke hurt Sakura. The Hokage will know that, even if Sakura does not remember."

It was good enough for Itachi. "Very well. Now take her, and go."

He nodded, and received Sakura from Itachi's arms. It seemed to Naruto to represent more than just the physical passing of a body from one grasp to the next. Itachi was renouncing his claim on Sakura to Naruto. It dawned on him that this was a major responsibility, but one he was glad to have.

No more wasting time. With Sakura in his arms, he dashed off full speed toward the Leaf Village.

* * *

 

Itachi watched his former target leave with Sakura in hand. When they had disappeared from sight, he crumpled onto the grass and wept unabashedly. At last, he truly understood what it felt like for one person to elicit such divine pain in another. But the knowledge of it had come at an unimaginably high price.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, story's a long one. but that's good news for the ones still reading, right? No one wants a story to end, really. The dynamic is changing... I will try to update as soon as i can.


	11. Sorry, So Sorry

Tsunade was too afraid to get angry. She looked upon the unconscious form of her favorite student, and all she felt was a paralyzing fear. The memories of her lover and younger brother surfaced.  _Not again!_

The worry on the Hokage's face was doing nothing to help Naruto's nerves. "Umm… Lady Hokage? She needs help!"

That roused her from her sad memories. "Don't you think I can see that!" she snapped. She formed the medical chakra probe and passed it through Sakura's body. What she found made her profoundly sad. "She is going to be just fine, with some rest. But—"

"Her memory is gone," he finished.

"How did you…?" She studied his face, clearly surprised.

 _Shit!_ "Uh… right before she passed out, she asked me who I was."  _Whew, that was close!_  He'd almost given away that he'd had a conversation with a missing-nin from Konoha. And _not_  killed him.

"Ahh. Yes, her memory is badly damaged. I'd say she is missing at least three years of memory, Naruto. It's not good."

"Three… years?" His eyes widened, and his brain scanned back over what had happened in three years.  _The fight with Sasuke, the time spent with Itachi, their talk in the Wind Country…_

"Or more."

_Her wedding to Sasuke… the fact that Sasuke even came back to the Leaf Village…_

"It's unclear as to whether she will even recognize any of us at all."

The despair was overwhelming. Before he realized what was happening, Tsunade had an arm around his shoulder and was giving him a concerned look. He figured out then that he had thrashed a chair against the far wall in frustration, and collapsed onto his knees on the hospital floor.

"Naruto… maybe you should go home and rest. You've had a rough day. I will take care of Sakura until you come back." She helped him to his feet.

"NO! It's my fault she got hurt. I will make sure she gets better if it's the last thing I do. I promise. I promise… Sakura." He clenched his hands into fists, then sat himself in the remaining chair defiantly, crossing his arms over his chest and donning his most stubborn, petulant expression. "I'm not leaving this room until she wakes up."

 _Naruto…_ Tsunade was worried, too. It was hard to live the life of a Shinobi, always haunted by the possibility of death or life-altering injury. Relationships, family ties, friendships… all were in jeopardy in the turbulent lives of ninjas. She had grown to her majority amidst the loss of those dearest to her, during the Great Shinobi War. She knew more intimately than most how much it hurt to watch those precious to her heart get injured and die. She knew how much pain Naruto was in, and she also knew the best way to help him cope.

Naruto heard the door click shut as Tsunade left the room. He leapt out of his chair and over to Sakura's side. He knelt next to the hospital bed and grasped her hand. "Sakura-chan… I'm so sorry! I'm still no good." He sputtered in utter frustration and let the tears come. No one was watching. "I fucked up again. I should never have let you go. I should have been there for you. I should have killed Sasuke when I had the chance! Oh, Sakura… I should never have let him hurt you in the first place. I'm so sorry… so sorry, Sakura… It's okay if you don't remember me, really. I don't deserve it, but please come back!" He cried. "I'm so sorry…"

Tsunade was still outside the door. She felt the tears come, too, as she listened to Naruto grieve. It was only through eavesdropping that she finally understood. ' _I should have killed Sasuke when I had the chance! Oh, Sakura… I should never have let him hurt you in the first place.'_ It dawned on her slowly, but as it did, she felt her anger rise like a tidal wave. All these years, Sasuke had abused her, and she'd never even guessed. She felt like a failure as a master, as a friend, and as her Hokage. But Naruto had known. She would have bet everything on the fact that  _only_  Naruto had known, and that Sakura had never told anyone else.

Well, she had a lot to think about. She had research to do. She scrubbed at her eyes and began walking down the hallway. There was only way to start a research endeavor like this one, and to deal with her aggravation that she had been so blind. She could still hear him, a little, as she walked away from the door. "So sorry, Sakura… I'm so, so sorry." It tore at her heart to hear, and her conviction solidified in her mind. There was only one thing left to do tonight: get mad roaring drunk.

* * *

 

"Naruto, you need to tell me what happened," Tsunade told him a couple of days later. "Sakura is still unconscious. It's been two days. I'm sorry to push you, but you need to make your report."

There were dark circles under his eyes. She knew he had not been sleeping, and it killed her a little to even ask, but she needed details of what had happened that had done this to Sakura. He nodded, and began his tale. "We completed the escort mission on par, just as you told us. Temari arrived in Wind Country safely. Sakura decided to take a walk alone to get some time to herself. She went outside the borders of the Sand Village while we were on our overnight rest. Sasuke told me he was going to look for her, but I followed anyway because I was worried. I got there just a little too late. Sasuke had met up with Itachi, somehow, and they were fighting. Sakura tried to protect Sasuke during an attack, and Sasuke attacked Itachi through Sakura, and hit her with a jutsu I'd never seen before. Then Itachi killed Sasuke, and I brought Sakura straight here."

Tsunade was appalled. "Sasuke attacked…  _through_  Sakura?" Naruto nodded to confirm. "Tch! If he weren't already dead, I'd give him a taste of my fist!" She stood up from her chair and started pacing. "So, what you're telling me is… Sasuke hurt Sakura, and Itachi killed Sasuke?"

"Yeah. That's pretty much it."

"Why didn't you help in the fight?"

She was testing his answers, but this one he was prepared for. "I could never interfere in the battle between Sasuke and Itachi. It was never meant to be a fight for anyone but them."

"I see." She placed her chin in her hand, considering. "Tell me about the new jutsu. Maybe it will help me figure out how to help her."

"It was made from Chidori. It was three snakes, and they rotated like this—" he made the gesture "—as they shot through the air towards her."

Her eyes widened. "Impossible! Where did he learn to do that? It takes phenomenal chakra control to be able to throw a change in chakra nature!"

"I don't know. The only thing I've been able to come up with is that he's been saving it for Itachi. It probably takes all of his effort with the level of skill he has attained." His shoulders slumped. This was not at all where his thoughts were at the moment, and it showed.

She nodded. "Alright, I will get the research units on looking for some sort of clue to unlocking Sakura's memory. Thank you. You're dismissed."

* * *

 

He headed straight back to the hospital and took up his position next to Sakura's bed. The chair was worn from his constant agitation already, and the quilt that some kind soul had draped over him after he'd passed out the first time was draped around the back like the chair needed a jacket. "Wake up, Sakura. We miss you."

"I've been telling her that, too," said Kakashi's voice from behind him. He had taken up his signature stance, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, head down, and one foot against the wall.

"Hey, Kakashi sensei," he said glumly.

He sighed. "I have not been your sensei since you came back from training with Jiraiya, Naruto. Kakashi is just fine."

"Whatever." Like he really cared at this point. A minute or two passed. He turned to his former teacher. "Hey, when did you get back from your mission? I thought you were going to be deployed for a few more weeks?"

He nodded. "I got a message from the Hokage to return immediately. She knew I'd be concerned about Sakura and she gave me the rest of the mission off. I just got in this morning, and I've been here ever since."

"Ah."

They passed a few minutes in silence. Kakashi easily noticed the change in the knuckle-head ninja's frame and demeanor. It was obvious he had not been looking after himself. His clothes hung just a little too loosely, there were insomniac circles beneath his eyes, and he didn't appear to have showered very recently. He wondered if Naruto had left the room at all other than to give his report, or if he'd been standing vigil at the kunoichi's side since the accident. "Naruto, when was the last time you ate anything? Let's go get some ramen at Ichiraku."

He shook his head once. "I'm not hungry. I'll just wait here... you go ahead."

Kakashi looked at Naruto's back, full of concern. Naruto Uzumaki turned down Ichiraku ramen? Alright, different approach. "Naruto, you know when Sakura wakes up, she's going to be mad at you if you let your health go downhill, even if it's on her account. Especially if it's on her account."

"Yeah,  _if_  she remembers me at all. Maybe she just won't care," he muttered.

Kakashi sighed. "Well,  _I_  care. Come with me for me, then, if you would. I can't figure out what to order anymore. The menu's changed."

Naruto sighed heavily. "You're not going to let me stay here, are you? Fine."

They walked and ate in silence. Naruto didn't even have the heart to attempt to get a look at Kakashi's face while he ate his ramen. When they'd finished, Kakashi picked up the bill, for once, and then they parted ways. Naruto headed back to the hospital. Kakashi went to visit the memorial. The incident with Sakura was dredging up painful memories.

To Naruto's surprise, though, when he got back to Sakura's room, she was sitting up in bed, and Shizune was asking her questions about how she felt. He stared in shock, his heart pounding and his breath caught in his throat. She turned to look at him then. She looked very worn out, and her eyes looked haunted. Everything about him froze, waiting for the moment when she demonstrated whether or not she even remembered who he was.

The next thing she said nearly gave him a heart attack.


	12. Naruto's Second Chance

It was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard.

"Naruto?"

"Sakura-chan!" he stumbled across the distance between them and hugged her tightly.

"Naruto!" Shizune scolded. "She's recovering! Be gentle." Her brows were drawn up in genuine worry, and it made him recoil. What if he did hurt her?

Sakura smiled at Tsunade's assistant. "I'm fine, Shizune. My head hurts something fierce, though. You can let me be, for now. Can you go tell Lady Hokage that I'm okay now?" Shizune nodded, and left.

He could barely contain his surprise and happiness. "Sakura, we've been so worried! I didn't think you'd even remember me after he told me your memory was destroyed."

"Who told you that?" Shoot. He really needed to stop doing that.

"Umm… one of the medics." He looked sideways, silently kicking himself for being so careless with his words.

"Oh." She looked confused, and unconvinced. "Naruto, what happened to me? Last thing I remember was… my sixteenth birthday. But that can't be right. I don't feel sixteen."

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter, Sakura. You're going to be alright."  _She's living in the space just after turning sixteen? Oh, man, I'm in trouble._ If all she remembered was her birthday, he was going to have to tread very carefully for a while until she caught up.

She smiled at him. "I believe you."

"You get better, Sakura. When you get out of here, we'll go to the pub and I'll explain everything that I can." She nodded. "Tsunade will be here any minute, and you need to rest." He smiled at her, as best he could, then left as fast as his feet could carry him. He was not even out of the hospital before the tears started pouring down his face.  _She's going to be alright!_  He ran from the hospital all the way to the memorial. There was a lone craftsman there, carving Sasuke's name on the stone. Neither him nor Tsunade liked that his name was going to find his timelessness among the likes of the fallen heroes, but he was still a member of the Leaf when he died, and his name needed to go there.

"Yo," said a familiar voice. Naruto looked up to where Kakashi was lounging in a nearby tree.

"Kakashi! Sakura's awake! Sakura's awake." He collapsed against the tree Kakashi was in from pure exhaustion and wept for joy.

"Is she, now? Well. Good." He sighed with relief as well. He was tired with worry as well, though not near to the extent of the ninja in orange below him, whom even though he had the most stamina out of everyone Kakashi had ever met, was so exhausted he was dozing off against the tree. It did seem to be a good time for a nap, so he let his chin fall to his chest and, before long, fell asleep.

* * *

 

"Happy birthday, Sakura-chan!" he told her, giving her a hug. "I got you this." He handed her a gift bag with pink tissue paper, flashing her his best smile.

"This is a pretty bag," she said cheerfully, receiving it from him. He chuckled, anticipating her reaction. Her face lit up as she pulled out the two bottles of wine. One was from this years stock, a light, cherry blossom wine. It was even called ' _Sakura_.' The other was an older, vintage wine made from the cherries themselves. "These are great, Naruto! Thanks!"

"Well, you know… I was out with the pervy sage and he ditched me to go to this tavern, you see. For his reeeseaaarch." He did a little wiggle dance to mock his teacher. "I was walking through the streets and there were stands on either side, but this little wine place was tucked in behind some of them and there didn't seem to be a lot of business, so they had lowered all their prices. I happened to catch the sign in front of the store because it had a fox on the sign and I was curious, see? So I went in to the store and looked around and I saw your name on the bottle, and I thought that you should have it. After all, it already has your name written all over it. Then the storekeeper was so happy about having business that he let me take one of the really really expensive bottles for the same price as that one. I was going to get some new ninja tools, but those pretty things pretty much cleaned me out. It's ok though. Your face is  _totally_  worth it!"

"It's perfect. Want to help me drink them?" She gave him a mischievous smile and swept up two glasses from her counter, shaking them gently so the glass tinkled together. "We can go to your place."

"Really?! Alright!" Naruto walked her to his apartment, practically prancing the entire way. The place was a mess, as usual, so he hurriedly shoved everything into the corner, and occasionally found something embarrassing that he rushed away without her noticing. Eventually it became a place habitable by humans. They popped the cork on the Sakura bottle first, and settled in on the couch, lounging and sharing stories from their times as genin. Sakura had been promoted to jounin just last week, though Naruto was still a chunin.

They laughed about the times they had tried to see Kakashi's face, including the one day while Sasuke was still with them and they tried so often to trick him into it, thinking he had some sort of strange disfigurement. They chuckled about the times when the rookie nine were always at odds with each other, and the times when Rock Lee was all over Sakura and they all thought he was creepy and bizarre. They laughed about how old Tsunade was, and yet she looked no older than Sakura anymore. They laughed away the first bottle of wine...and then they cracked open the vintage.

It was twice the content of alcohol, having fermented longer, and neither Naruto nor Sakura had had much experience drinking. Before half the bottle was gone, they were smashed and mourning over Sasuke. Naruto sobbed out his promise to her again about getting him back. Sakura told him to forget it. Sasuke was never coming back. Before long, both of them were shedding tears and had their arms wrapped around each other.

It was a moment after that that he told her that he had always loved her, and she told him that she had always known, but that she was too naive to see past Sasuke. He kissed her, then, and immediately apologized. After that, much to his surprise, she kissed him back.

She gazed into his eyes, hazed over by wine. "Don't apologize, you idiot." They kissed for a long time, but never did anything more. It really wasn't even awkward when she woke up snuggled into his bare chest in the morning. They'd always been close, so it was not all that strange or uncomfortable. They made coffee, and went their separate ways for the day. Sakura went to work at the hospital, and Naruto went off to work on chakra balance, his weakest area.

Naruto had thought he might actually have his chance, then. But it was, ironically, only two days later that Sasuke returned to the village, and strode right past the other villagers like it was any other day to the Hokage's office to make his report. There was a small celebration that night. Team seven was there, as well as the Hokage and a few of the original rookie nine, all happy to share drinks with the returning Leaf nin.

It was a few days after that that he saw Sasuke and Sakura sitting down for lunch. She looked so happy that he had returned that Naruto never had the courage to try to take their relationship any further. It was a few days after that that he had seen Sasuke feeling her up behind Ichiraku. For himself, he was sad, but Naruto had never been a selfish ninja, and he continued to be there for both of them as they seemed to grow closer. He stood up in the wedding and was glad to do it. Sakura had been gorgeous that day in her white dress. He'd never seen such a pretty smile.

And he never would, not ever again. He'd always regret that.

But, Sakura's last memory was that day. She didn't remember that Sasuke had ever come back. Was this his second chance?

Now that Sakura was awake and physically healthy, he got back to his training. He stopped in at the end of each day to the hospital though, just to see how she was doing. After a couple of days, she was allowed to leave. Physically, there was nothing wrong with her, but her memory had still shown no signs of returning. At least she seemed to remember everyone, even if she forgot details accumulated over the past few years. Tsunade let her go home. He stopped by Yamanaka flowers on the final day and had Ino pick him out something nice for Sakura.

"It's about time, Naruto," Ino winked at him.

He laughed nervously. "It's not like that," he assured her, waving his hands. "She's out of the hospital today." Even though he told himself that the flowers were only a welcome home gift all the time, it never did feel that way, especially not right now with Ino giving him that knowing stare.

"Uh-huh," she said, unconvinced. "She belongs with you anyway. Trust me. We girls have extra senses for things like this, for everyone else except ourselves. Tell her I said hello!" She smiled brightly.

He didn't think he'd ever understand the strange psychic ways of females. Oh well. "Alright. Thanks, Ino!" He paid her for the flowers and made his way to the hospital, glad to be out of reach of her stares. It made him feel like she could see right through him, and it was more than unsettling.

Sakura greeted him in the lobby. "Hi, Naruto!" she said, smiling. It almost seemed like any other day. She looked fine.

"Hey, Sakura," he greeted her. "These are for you." He held out the bouquet of lilies and scarlet drops and flashed his ever present grin.

Her face lit up. "Thanks! But hey, didn't you already get me a present not too long ago?"

"Huh?" He was confused a moment before he remembered.  _She thinks she turned sixteen a few days ago. Damn._ "Oh, uh… yeah. But I thought I'd follow it up with these." He'd explain that little bitty lie later.

The confusion washed from her face. "Oh! Well, let's get them home then and get them into some water." She stuffed her face into them and breathed in their scent. "Mmm. They smell marvelous!"

"I'm glad you like them. Ready?"

"Mm-hmm."


	13. Revelations of Nightmares

After getting the flowers into a vase of water, Naruto walked her to the pub. They each ordered a soda and sat in a corner booth, away from prying eyes and ears. Naruto had some important news for her, and he didn't need any unnecessary eavesdropping to interfere. He looked at her bright, happy face and hesitated. It was hard for him to break the bubble of naïveté she seemed to be immersed in, but he knew that he had to, and he had to now, before anyone else told her what had happened. It needed to come from him.

"Sakura. I need to tell you some things."

She nodded, letting the smile slip from her face and trying to appear serious. "I know. Something's wrong, and I don't know what it is. I'm ready. I've been preparing for it since I woke up."

He took a deep breath. "Well, umm… I'm not sure how to ease into it, so I'm just gonna say it. We were on a mission, and you were hurt. Your memory has been partially destroyed. It's almost the end of summer. You're twenty years old now, not sixteen. You got in the middle of the fight between Sasuke and Itachi. You were hurt, and Sasuke was… killed."

Her eyes widened with every word.  _No! Sasuke? What the hell happened?_  "Sasuke? Naruto, tell me everything."

"I… can't." He looked down at the table, helpless.

"Why not?" It was hard on her. She had thought she was ready to entertain anything, any sort of accident that could have made things feel upside down, but not this!

"I made a promise. I can't tell you too much." Damn. This was harder than he thought.

"Who did you promise?"

"I can't even say that." He hated having to hide things from her, but it would only hurt her in the end, he assured himself.

"What was I doing there, then?" She racked her brain, trying to think of any sort of clue, any shred of memory up until this point, but it was entirely blank. She felt like she had turned sixteen just last week. She could practically still feel the sensation left by Naruto's lips while they were drunk on cherry wine.

"Sasuke came back to Konoha a few days after your birthday. Team Seven was reunited, and we were out on a mission recently. We encountered Itachi somewhere in the field, and Sasuke challenged him to a fight. You were worried, and stepped in to protect him from a jutsu. It messed up your memory pretty bad, and you were out cold for a few days. And now you're here." He needed to tell her that she'd married their friend, but for some reason he found himself unable to. He felt wrong for hiding it from her, but he figured it could at least wait a day or two. It was too precious a chance for him to solidify their bond for him to drop Sasuke in between them.

Her mind reeled. Did this explain her nightmares? "Naruto, can you help me with something?"

"Yeah, I can definitely try." It was the least he could do.

"I've been having nightmares… If it's not one thing, it's the other. In one of my dreams, I'm watching Sasuke's brother killing his entire clan. I see a man and a woman fall down into pools of blood. I think, in the dream, I am Sasuke, and the man and woman are his parents. It's an awful dream, and I wake up crying most of the time. Every time I've had it, it's been the exact same.

"In the other, Sasuke and I are together. It seems like we've always been together, but he's… not himself. I mean, something's wrong with him, but it's hard to say why."

"Not himself? What do you mean by that?"

"He's… well, he's cruel. He hits me, he says the most awful things, and he forces me to bed. Every one of those dreams is different, but they are all pretty much similar. I end up crying  _in_  the dream, but I wake up at peace. I'm happy when I wake up, almost abnormally happy, as if waking up is the drug to quell the nightmare and its side effect is silliness."

Naruto frowned. He couldn't tell her those dreams weren't dreams at all, but dreams formed from her reality, the one she didn't know anymore. On the one hand, he supposed it was good she didn't remember that that was what it had been like, day in and day out, for her. But on the other hand, he hoped they didn't haunt her forever. He wondered about that dream about Itachi though. It sounded like something Sasuke had experienced, not Sakura. So why was  _she_  dreaming about Sasuke's family? It all led back to Sasuke.  _Well, at least the bastard's gone. One less headache,_  he thought grimly.

"Well, have you had any good dreams?" He hoped to get the conversation back to something lighter, now that the dirty business was concluded.

"Well… one. But maybe I will tell you about that some other time."

He blinked. "Alright. Let's order some food."

Itachi killed Sasuke. He was still out there, somewhere. Sasuke had never been able to avenge his family. The entire Uchiha clan was gone now, except for the Uchiha that destroyed them. And now, Sakura was the only one who had any idea what it felt like.

Every time the dream plagued her, she felt Sasuke's pain. She felt like she was watching her own mother and father fall down dead. She felt the kinship to the older brother, standing in the failing light and showing no emotion at all. She felt Sasuke's anguish, his fear, his confusion. It was the most realistic nightmare she'd ever had, and it never changed, not even a little.

She woke up from the dream soaked in tears, her chest heaving with sobs and her hair drenched with sweat. Every morning she woke up after having the dream, she felt the pain and sorrow kindled with a flame of hatred for the cause of the disaster. He'd gotten away with it! Now there was no one to bring Itachi Uchiha to justice for his crimes. Before long, each morning, she awoke with one thought.

_I have to kill Itachi Uchiha._


	14. Sakura's Second Chance

On a cold, gray morning, Sakura was out walking alone, reflecting on everything. She ruminated about her dreams, and tried to absorb the fact that she no longer had any memory of the past 4 years. It was hard to accept that she'd lived four years of life that she could no longer even begin to remember. It was like falling asleep sixteen and waking up twenty with an old friend just… dead. It was entirely too bizarre for her to truly believe, even if she knew it was true. However, to see it for herself, she made her final destination for the day one of Kakashi's most popular haunts: she found herself on the path to the memorial stone.

Oddly enough, there was another young woman already there. She was on her knees, hunched over, and appeared to be crying. She was saying something, over and over, but Sakura could not quite hear it, so she tiptoed closer. "Sasuke… no…" Sakura's heart caught in her chest. She had not really thought about it, until this moment. Of course, Sasuke had always meant to regenerate the mighty Uchiha clan. It made perfect sense that he'd have chosen someone to help him carry out his last ambitions.

 _And it wasn't me, after all._ She frowned, then shook herself. She could be grumpy about it later. "I'm sorry," Sakura started, making herself known. "I—"

The woman gasped and turned fearful eyes toward her. "Sa…Sakura? I'm so sorry! I'll leave. Sorry!" She stood quickly, brushing herself off.

Sakura was confused. What was going on here, and why was the younger woman so scared? She tried to smile at her. "No need. I only came here to pay my respects as well. A friend of Sasuke's is a friend of mine." She motioned with her hand for the girl to sit back down.

Instead, the color drained from her face. "I…I have to go anyway. I've been here too long." But that didn't go over so well, either. As if the words she'd said were the wrong ones, she flushed with embarrassment and bolted from the memorial stone.

"That was weird," Sakura said, sure that no one was around.

"Good morning, Sakura," Kakashi's voice said. She looked up. If Kakashi was not on a mission or standing in front of the stone, he was usually up in that damned tree.

"Good morning, Kakashi sensei," she said, still distracted by her odd encounter with the girl.

He waved amiably, then cocked his head in mock amusement. "Well, that was odd, huh?"

"I'll say. She seemed terrified. Did I do something to her to make her afraid of me?" He looked away, as if unsure what to say. "Don't worry, Naruto already told me I'm missing 4 years of memory. Well, almost five actually, huh? Clearly, I'm missing something here."

He chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, yeah, sort of. You and that one weren't exactly the best of friends. You know what you're capable of doing. If you were angry at someone, what would you be able to do to her?"

Though she was still confused as to the why, it did make a little more sense. "Ah. I think I get it. Sort of." She frowned.

"A little. Maybe the rest will come to you." His eye crinkled in a smile she could not really see.

"I hope so. So… this is all real, then, isn't it?" He looked at her. "I mean, Sasuke's really dead. Itachi really hurt us both, and I can't remember anything that happened since I turned sixteen. Right?"

"So it would seem. I'm sorry, Sakura." He stared at the memorial stone. Comforting words weren't exactly his forte.

"You don't need to be sorry, Kakashi. It just really isn't dawning on me yet. Everything feels a little weird, but as far as I can tell, everything is pretty much the same as it was. There's nothing to be upset about. I don't feel as if I've seen Sasuke since he walked out of Konoha. I guess him being dead really isn't that different except that now I am sure he won't be coming home. But, I need to know what I missed, just so things like what just happened don't leave me this confused."

Kakashi hoped she never remembered. "Yeah," was all he said after a few moments. Feeling confused was better than remembering everything that had happened between her and Sasuke. He knew what Sasuke had done to his student. Of course he knew. No one knew that he knew though, and he didn't figure it was his place to try to step in more than he had. But lecturing Sasuke had not worked the first time, so he didn't expect it to work the second time, and it hadn't.

Time stretched on, and Kakashi found himself unable to stay mum on the subject. "Sakura." She looked at him. "Don't try too hard to remember anything." He had tried very hard to make his voice sound firm yet caring.

"Huh?"

She blinked, obviously confused. And why wouldn't she be? He sighed. "Just… don't think too hard. Take this as your second chance."

"Second chance at what?"

He paused, unsure if he should continue. "Happiness." The innocent ignorance in her expression was almost heartbreaking. Oh, what he would not give to let her maintain that naivete for the rest of her life. She'd lost it before, and now somehow she was given it back. The weariness she'd been carrying for the past several years had seemed so unlike the Sakura he had known. She'd been the glue that held the team together, always caring for them. Watching her spirit strain and then finally shatter had been too much for him, and he'd been coward enough to duck out of it. The truth was, he had never known how to fix it, and for him that meant running away and hiding the thoughts.

His words hung over her thoughts for the next few days, leaving her in a storm of thought. The only way it could have made sense was if the four years she had forgotten had been bad years. Somewhere along the way, she must have made a bad choice. She struggled to remember everything that she could, but the most vivid memory was her birthday. Was that significant in some way?

She thought of the night spent with her longtime best friend. Well, one thing about the past four years was certain. Naruto had matured into a handsome man, and he was just as carefree and devoted to her as he had always been. She smiled, thinking of the wine they had shared. Maybe he could not remember what it tasted like, since he still had his memories, but for her, she could taste the sweet, earthy nectar and the way their mouths had mixed with it.

She took a moment to slide back into another memory, of the dream she had not shared with Naruto. It was not exactly something she wanted to confess in public.

But wait… if Sasuke had returned to the village… was he the choice she had made, or had it been Naruto? If Sasuke had come back to Konoha, who had been the wrong decision?

She unlocked the door to her apartment and stepped inside. It smelled dusty, but at least it was clean otherwise. She sighed, dropping into the worn out couch and snuggling into the cushions. It was here that they had cuddled until they'd fallen asleep in an alcohol-induced blissful stupor. She breathed in the vapor, but it didn't smell like his cologne anymore. It smelled like unwashed Sakura for all the times she must have dozed off exhausted after a mission, much like she was considering now.

Her gaze settled on something on her kitchen table in the next room. What was that? It was very small package wrapped in simple black paper. More presents? She dragged herself off the couch with a groan, her body rebelling at the motion. It was a simple silver dragonfly pendant, not terribly flashy and delicately small. She cooed in appreciation. It was something she could actually wear daily, adorable and able to be worn with any outfit, casual or dress. Beneath it was a folded letter.

"Sakura—

Wear this always. Remember that I will forever protect you from all of the enemies of your heart, even if you cannot see me. Don't try to remember me."

It was left unsigned.

Of course, she had no hope in hell of remembering anything surrounding the scrawled words. As the days went by, she only became more and more frustrated and confused, which, she guessed, was normal for someone with as severe a case of amnesia as she had. As expected, she was missing something extremely important, and she did not like it one bit. She had always been a bit of a perfectionist, memorizing every detail and trying to optimize her work. How could she do that if she could not even remember what had happened to her?

"Oh, well," she said aloud to no one, sighing heavily. She unclasped the dragonfly pendant and clasped it again around her neck. It was quite pretty, and she was glad for it, even though she had no idea who it was from. It was rather intriguing, actually, to have someone who claimed to care about her protection remind her that he was keeping an eye out for her. "Thank you, whoever you are."

She wondered if it had anything to do with Naruto as she slumped back into her worn out couch, letter in hand. This, she studied intently. Time around the Hokage had made her privy to some random skills. She'd picked up a skill for being able to recognize the telltale hallmarks of an individual's handwriting. If she ever saw a sample of writing from anyone, she would know if they had been the one to write this. When she felt confident she could recognize it, she carefully folded the note and tucked it lovingly into her pocket.

She would make sure to ask Naruto about it tomorrow.


	15. Tell Me

She found him right where she expected him to be. At lunchtime in Konoha, Naruto Uzumaki was at Ichiraku Ramen, every day, without fail. She peeked her head around the banner and greeted her long time friend.

He choked on a mouthful of hot, steaming noodles. "Sakura! Hey!" he managed to choke out. "How are you feeling? You look great."

She smiled as sweetly as she could. Today, she was going to make her blonde friend a little uncomfortable, and part of the plan was to lead him away. "I'm feeling pretty good. You're in a bowl of ramen, so I imagine you're doing alright." His grin was answer enough. "Hey, I was wondering…" she started, pulling in his attention. "Would you help me with something?"

He nodded, but adopted an expression of concern. "Yeah, of course, Sakura. Just ask."

"Well… would you come with me?" She shuffled her feet a little to look nervous and shy. "I need your opinion."

She watched as his face brightened. It was evil of her to take advantage of his desire to always be around her, but in this case, depending on how he received her intentions, he might actually be glad for it. He grinned broadly as he walked beside her to her apartment. She maintained the façade until she had him inside her door, upon which she locked it, turned around, and clocked him squarely in the face.

He sprawled backward awkwardly, caught completely off-guard, tumbling over a misplaced sack of clothing and dropping unceremoniously to the floor. "What the hell?!" he shouted as he began to rise off the ground. Immediately she was upon him, straddling his waist, pinching his legs together with her bony knees, gripping the front of his shirt in both hands and yanking his face forward so she could glare at him eye to eye. His blue eyes widened as they stared into her blazing green ones. "What did I do?" he whispered nervously.

"Nothing!" she snapped into his face. "You've told me nothing! I've been fumbling around in the dark with no idea whatsoever of what is going on. You're hiding something.  _Why?_ " She asked intensely, her green eyes bored fiercely into his face.

"Sakura, I can't," he told her, looking away.

She cocked her right hand back and flung her fist across his face, careful not to break anything she could not fix, like his teeth. "Tell me."

"No," he told her again, more solidly this time. She glowered at him. He really was not going to tell her.

"Then at least tell me why  _not_ ," she gritted at him through her teeth. "For crying out loud, Naruto, I'm not a kid. I just can't take not knowing!"

"Even if knowing hurts?" he said quietly, peering at her through an already puffy right eye.

"Yes," she said with conviction. "Why won't you tell me what I am missing? I know that you know, and I think you know even more than everyone else."

"I can't tell you because I care about you, Sakura."  _I love you, actually,_  was what he wanted to say, but he could not say it to her. He didn't deserve her.

She searched his eyes, and then, finding something there, she gripped both hands to his shirt again, jerked his torso toward her, and kissed him squarely on the lips.

His body responded immediately despite his considerable surprise. He'd not been with anyone, and lusting after your best friend for years after she'd been married pent up a lot of sexual aggression. He groaned against her face. Spurred by his reaction, she dropped his head to the ground and followed it with her own, planting her hands on the floor on either side of his head and seeking his mouth. He wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her down, meshing their chests together. In a smooth motion she could have sworn was practiced, he rolled them both over so he could use his weight to pin her down. But as soon as he pressed his body upon hers, he recoiled.

"What?" she asked, confused.

He skidded backward on his butt, pushing with his feet until back met wall. "Shit," was all he said. "Oh, no. Oh, man! Shit!" He kept swearing, ignoring Sakura's attempts to ask him why.

" _What,_ Naruto?" she asked, narrowing her eyes and getting angrier by the moment. "Something else I should know?"

"I can't do it," he groaned, rolling his eyes, obviously fighting himself. He shook his head several times, coming to terms with something before he gazed at her. Taking stock one last time of what Sakura looked like when she wanted only him, he took a deep breath and let the words tumble out. "Sakura, two days after your sixteenth birthday, Sasuke came back. You…married him." He watched her eyes widen, horrified. "He was awful to you. He abused you, in more than one way." He observed as her mind raced, putting pieces together. He imagined she understood the one dream she had told him. "The mission just outside Wind Country…Sasuke tried to kill you, too. You weren't trying to protect him."

"He's a comrade." she whispered. "But Itachi killed him, and I let him?"

Naruto shook his head weakly. "Itachi did not kill Sasuke. I did."

Her eyes threatened to bulge out of her head. "Why? You two were friends… I don't understand," she finished, shaking her head between her hands.

"Because he hurt you," he replied without hesitation, his feelings for her naked in his voice and expression. "You don't remember," he urged, emotion making his voice crack on the word 'remember.' "You don't remember just  _how badly_ he hurt you, Sakura."

" _Happiness,"_ the words of her sensei repeated in her head.  _"Think of this as your second chance."_

Her hand went to the pendant around her neck. "And this? Did you send me this?"

At first he didn't understand, but when his eyes fell upon it, he shook his head. "No idea, but if  _he_ sent it—"

"Who?" Her face contorted into a mix of anger and hunger for the knowledge.

He shook his head again. "No, Sakura. That is not for me to tell." She glared at him, but he really had reached his limit this time. "No, I really can't, no matter how many times you punch me in the jaw."

"Fine!" she snapped, leaping to her feet. Without hesitation, she kicked her own door and stalked out of the house.

"Sakura!" he called after her. Damn it all, he could be so stupid sometimes! "Damn you, Itachi," he grumbled as soon as she was gone.

As if summoned, the Akatsuki answered from behind him. "Hm?"

Naruto's head whipped around. "What the hell are you doing in Sakura's apartment?"

Itachi's gaze swept across Naruto's form, crumpled against the wall, as he tried in vain to hide his arousal. "I could ask you the same thing," he replied smoothly.

Naruto turned several shades of red. "You gave her that necklace, didn't you?" he accused, ignoring Itachi's observation.

He nodded. "I did."

"Why?"

Itachi closed his eyes and took a breath. When he opened them he began speaking. "I can't protect her any more. It's up to you."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Huh? That doesn't make any sense! You didn't even answer my question."

Itachi rubbed one hand against his forehead. "The necklace she wears is special. If she continues to wear it she will always know when someone is lying. It's a simple design. I had it made for her. It does not depend on me, so when I am gone it will still work."

"When you're gone? When were you ever here?"  _Uchihas! Tch!_

"I've been in the Leaf Village, watching her, since you returned from Wind Country." Naruto's jaw dropped in surprise. "But I won't be here much longer. I have to go. I need to talk to you, before I do."

"Umm… okay?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I can't put it any more delicately than this: I'm dying. I've been sick for a long time. Since the fight with Sasuke I've felt closer to death than ever. I think it's because there is nothing holding me here anymore, until Sakura. If I can be sure she is safe, I can leave this wretched world. I needed to do two things to make it possible. I had to give her that necklace so she could truly follow her heart and be correct each time, and I needed to talk to you.

"Don't ever tell her about me. And, protect her. Although you've done an admirable job so far, you must never falter. She's the best of us three, and she needs to be priority number one. You let my brother sink his talons into her when she should have been yours. You get another chance at making her happy. I don't. So, as my last wish, the dying wish of a murderer, I want you to love her for both of us."

He coughed, a deep rattle that sounded as if it was shredding his lungs. When he was able to continue, he said, "In Sasuke's house, my childhood home, there is a loose floorboard under my bed. Everything in it is yours.

"Very soon, you will be given a mission to hunt me down. Now that Sakura is feeling better, it only makes sense to hunt me down. You will find me coming here to capture you. I won't be easy to kill, but you can do it."

"What are you hoping to accomplish by practically ordering me to kill you, Itachi? It does not make any sense." It didn't, not to him.

He sighed, slowing it down as if talking to a child. "You will achieve respect for killing the Uchiha rogue who killed your friend. Sakura will achieve respect for avenging her husband, erasing any suspicions that will arise when you two make any relationship public. No one will suspect Sakura of cheating if she carried out her late husband's last wish and killed his brother, avenging his death. You both will find peace by the knowledge that I am gone, something you'd never feel if you didn't watch me die. You will share a bond in killing me, and I imagine killing me will jog some of Sakura's memory, something you must be there for, since she will undoubtedly need you. It's the only thing that makes sense, Naruto. It has to be this way. I'm as good as dead anyway. I can't think of any better way to leave the world than to secure Sakura's happiness. She, more than anyone I have ever encountered, deserves it.

"And you deserve it, too," he finished after a pause. "I will see you soon." He made to leave through the window.

"Hey, wait!" he shouted after the Akatsuki. Itachi stopped, hunched over on the window sill, muscles coiled for the push that would begin his journey away from the Leaf. He turned slowly to his former target. With the wind blowing just so, it put Itachi's frame in a whole new perspective for Naruto. Suddenly, he seemed to him to be their guardian angel. It filled him with inspiration that such a change had come over what he had known to be Itachi, and filled him with a desire to carry out the older man's wishes. The sad look in Itachi's face was clear now, where there had never before been visible emotion. He looked worn out, haggard almost. Naruto took a deep breath. "Thank you, Itachi Uchiha. It's been an honor to finally know you, like this," he finished as he rose from the floor. He strode to the window and held out his hand.

Itachi looked down at his outstretched hand, unfamiliar with the gesture. Finally, he took it, gripping the other man's hand tightly. "Thank you, too, Naruto Uzumaki, for keeping her safe. I'm glad we met, like this." He smiled slightly, feeling a peace come over him he'd never felt before.

With that, he loosed his muscles and fled into the outskirts of Konoha.


	16. Mission

Not long after Itachi left, Sakura came flying back in, a mix of emotion evident in her face. Anger, excitement, confusion… "What are you still doing in my house, Naruto?" she snapped.

He stood up, ready to leave. "I was just on my way out, actually. You weren't really gone that long, you know," he grumbled.

"Nevermind that now," she said impatiently. "You and I are going on a mission." Her face was all brightness now.

 _Wow,_  he thought.  _Itachi was not kidding. That was fast._ With a heavy weight on his conscience, he followed Sakura to the Hokage's study.

* * *

 

"Naruto. Sakura. Lee," the blonde Hokage stated in her no-nonsense voice. "We've been given some very serious news from the border scouts." She huffed out a sigh. "Itachi Uchiha has been spotted heading toward the village." Naruto ignored the starts of surprise from his two comrades. He'd been expecting, and dreading, this summons. "We can't guess at his motives, other than he may be making a last attempt at capturing Naruto. Needless to say, if we don't know his motives, this could be a very dangerous mission, especially since the enemy is Itachi.

"Naruto and Sakura, because you are a man down for your team, I chose Rock Lee for you. He knows how to counter the Sharingan and should be a lot of help. I'm counting on you guys. I don't think chasing him away is an option at this point. You are going to have to capture or kill Itachi Uchiha. Come back alive. You are dismissed. I need you to leave as soon as possible."

They nodded, accepting the mission details, and exchanged looks on the way out of her study. Lee looked pumped, as usual. "Yes, finally! The time has come for me to prove I am the ultimate ninja by defeating and capturing the most feared of all of the missing-nin of Konoha! I am ready!"

Sakura looked thoughtful. Naruto knew she was thinking about killing Itachi, and could not help feeling troubled that she was happy about it. It was an odd feeling… a mere month ago he would have been excited by this prospect because it would have killed one of the demons of Sasuke's past and had the slim chance of turning Sasuke back into the friend he had held onto for so long before he'd changed. A chance, no matter how slim, of bringing both Sasuke and Sakura happiness was worth whatever trouble it was worth. But now… even if killing Itachi did do as he had said it would—and it probably would, for Itachi rarely seemed to make mistakes—it did not sit well with him. Itachi was… innocent, as strange as it sounded. It was going to make him feel dirty to do this.

No, this was not going to go well at all.

He could not seem to keep his mouth shut about it either. As soon as they were out of town, Sakura took the lead, eager to meet the enemy. Naruto fell in step with Lee, and took it upon himself to pick his brain. "Hey, Bushybrow," he said. "Can I ask you something?"

"Huh? You want my advice? Well if that is what you need from me, Naruto, then I will answer your questions if I can."

He thought about how to phrase it. "Well, have you ever thought maybe… Itachi had a reason to kill his clan?"

"Wha? You mean, like they deserved it?" His face looked troubled, as well it should.

"Well yeah. I mean, think about it. Itachi was the perfect ninja. All his records at the academy were flawless. He never did anything wrong. He worked too hard, and did as he was told by his superiors. Why would he suddenly snap and kill all of the Uchihas? Maybe you didn't notice, but… Sasuke was not exactly the nicest guy, even if he was my teammate."

He could see Lee was thinking about his words. "Naruto, the words you speak are very dangerous."

He nodded. "I know. And another thing… why was Itachi spotted coming toward the village? It does not make sense. He knows very well that my control over the bijuu has made me stronger than him, and it's common knowledge he has given up his search for me. He's mostly a lone ranger now, and Kisame has not been seen in a long time. He can't take me alone. So why come toward the village, and more importantly, why did he let us see him?"

Lee's eyes widened. "You know, that is strange. Itachi would not be spotted so easily." They continued in silence for a moment. "What do you think is happening, Naruto?"

"Well, whatever it is, Lee, two things are sure. He wanted someone to be sent after him. And, he knew it would be us. We need to be ready for anything. It is possible that Itachi does not even want to fight." He watched as the thoughts rolled over in Lee's mind, and as his eyes strayed to their over-eager kunoichi friend.

"I will protect you, Sakura," he said softly. Naruto had not considered Lee's feelings for her either. It was a very good choice on Tsunade's part to send Lee. After about another half hour's worth of the journey, Lee broke the silence again. "Naruto," he said darkly, "no matter what happens today, Itachi must die."

Naruto's eyes widened, but Lee continued.

"Konoha has believed Itachi a criminal for over a decade. Whether or not Itachi was ordered to destroy his clan no longer matters to the Leaf Village. No one can know that Itachi is innocent, or the leadership of the Hokage and the order of the Village will be questioned. We invite chaos if we allow Konoha to know that they have been led to believe a lie crafted by those they trusted to protect the innocent. On the other hand, if Itachi is not innocent, we must defend Konoha and see that justice puts an end to Itachi."

Grudgingly, Naruto had to admit to himself that Lee was right. Itachi wanted to die, and he knew that it was for the best. As usual, Itachi had been right.  _I'm still sorry._

Suddenly he ran straight into Sakura's solid back. "What the-?" She was staring ahead of them somewhere. He traced her line of sight but could not see anything. "What's going on Sakura?"

"We've already been here," she murmured. "There's a tree right up ahead that fell, but the crook of the tree caught on the neighboring tree so it's standing like that." He looked again, and this time he saw it. "I can't believe I missed it before." She shook her head, then without turning around told them "Get ready," and released the Genjutsu.

"Naruto Uzumaki," said that chillingly cool voice he remembered from the old Itachi.

"Itachi Uchiha," he breathed, not at all prepared for what was next.

"Are you ready to die?"

"Are you?" A look passed between the two of them, barely perceptible. Itachi did not answer the question. He looked even worse than he had a few hours ago: tired, pale, a bit sweaty, and shaken. He looked like he had a fever, and Naruto knew immediately that Sakura had already assessed that as an advantage against her foe. He studied her face. It was confident, focused, and calm. Sakura was ready to kill. Whatever her feelings upon learning Sasuke had hurt her, she clearly still felt that Itachi was at fault.

Itachi's gaze dropped on her for just a moment before he shot two waves of shuriken. Naruto knew he did not imagine the twinge of guilt and regret for having done it as Sakura dodged sideways. Itachi was already there, and her momentum threatened to carry her into his trap until Lee appeared at the level of his head. "Leaf Hurricane!" Itachi easily dodged, of course, but Sakura regained her balance and was fine.

Finally, Naruto regained his senses. He could not just let his friends fight the battle. He had to be involved. "Shadow Clone Jutsu," he said as several Narutos appeared to help with the fight. He didn't like it, but Itachi had taken the initiative by endangering Sakura. He had forced Naruto's hand.

The battle was tipped slightly in their favor. Because there were three of them, holding one in a Genjutsu was impossible. Holding all of them in a Genjutsu was going to be nearly impossible, since the three of them were never in the same place at once. Besides, as was his specialty, Lee was looking nowhere near Itachi's eyes; he was focused on his feet, a trick he had learned from Guy to negate the use of the Sharingan. Because Itachi's eyes were virtually useless, it meant that it was solely a ninjutsu and taijutsu battle. Lee was the best taijutsu fighter the Leaf had ever seen, and Naruto and Sakura had developed the most powerful ninjutsu of the Leaf over their years training together. It was a team whose sole purpose, it seemed, had been to defeat Itachi Uchiha.

The group of Narutos tried his Naruto Uzumaki barrage, a highly upgraded version from the one he had started with. It was faster, included twice as many clones, and was fueled by a little extra chakra punch, something Sakura had helped him with. It hit, but revealed a log in Itachi's place only moment later; substitution.

He reappeared a moment later behind Lee, but was too slow to land a hit before Lee twisted into a high kick. He missed, but just barely. Lee drove him back with a combination of kicks, and Sakura aimed a chakra-laden punch at his back, effectively creating an Itachi sandwich. The combination landed, but a second later, it was Naruto's clone in between them and not Itachi. Itachi had somehow disappeared.

They stood at alert, scanning the area, but he was nowhere to be seen. They panted heavily from the strenuous fight. He was an unpredictable and powerful foe, and the stress of pitting themselves against the Leaf's missing-nin was taking its toll.

"Where'd he go?" Lee asked no one in particular. Sakura looked angry, perhaps at having missed her chance to kill him. Naruto felt almost relieved. Perhaps they would not have to kill him after all.

Naruto felt his skin prickle. Something was not right. A moment later, his suspicions were confirmed, as a pair of strong hands gripped his ankles and Lee's, and dragged them both underground up to their necks. Sakura, moving as quickly as possible, leapt backwards, right into the waiting arms of the real Itachi. She gasped, her eyes wide.

Captured, all three of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is back when I was terrified of writing action scenes. Kind of sucks, huh?


	17. Sakura's Forbidden Jutsu

"Hello, Sakura," he whispered in her ear. Her blood froze. The entire world disappeared but for that horrifying voice, and the dreams that had never stopped. She saw him murdering Sasuke's parents. It didn't matter that Sasuke had been cruel; he'd only been warped because of this man. That voice, so menacingly sweet, honeyed with lies, caused every muscle in her body to freeze in terror, her eyes wide. Her vision blurred. She no longer saw Naruto and Lee, helplessly encased in earth.

He wrestled her arms into a hold that kept her from making hand signs, wrenched behind her back. He inched her backward, drawing her away from her comrades. Finally he crushed her against a tree, pinning her body with his own, her face pressed painfully into its trunk. This was it, wasn't it? The end of her life. "What do you know of me?" he whispered into her ear.

He was toying with her! "Murderer!" she hissed. "I see you in my dreams, killing your parents and your whole clan, you despicable human being." She laughed ruefully. "You're not even human. You're less than human."

Neither of them moved or spoke for a minute or so. She wondered what he was thinking. Perhaps how to kill her, she supposed.

"Sakura!" Naruto yelled out of worry.

"You can do it, Sakura!" Lee shouted with encouragement.

She scrambled to feel calm enough to balance her chakra. She had one jutsu she could use in this position, but she needed all the calm and strength she could muster. Itachi still had not moved, holding her still, as if unsure what to do with her. She sought a place within herself of peace, siphoning the pain and fear out of her psyche. Her mind created an image of falling stars, showering down around her in the most beautiful display of light she had never seen. It brought with it such a feeling of peace and joy, though, that she was able to prepare for the jutsu. Where had that come from? The arms around her suddenly felt welcome and strong, adding to the illusion of calm.

She gathered the chakra to her core, ready. Then, in a quick, razor sharp burst, she pulsed her whole chakra into her attacker, and pulled his chakra straight out of his body. He started, then convulsed a few times, then crumpled to the ground, clutching his chest.

It was a jutsu that only she knew how to do; only Tsunade even knew about it, and had forbidden its use because of the damage it caused and the danger to the user. By sending her chakra quickly and forcefully into another's body, she was able to meld it with the other's. By maintaining a delicate grip on the last of her own, she was able to remain alive, but in that instant she was very close to death. Then, after meshing her chakra with that of her attacker, she could yank hers and his back into her body, leaving the other with nothing left. It caused such a shock to the body's system that it could kill a person. Itachi had not died, but looking down at his fallen form, she could tell he was close to it.

She followed him down, pinning his chest down with her knees, earning a raspy cough from the fallen Uchiha. She gripped his collar with both hands and yanked his face nearer hers, trying to cause as much pain and discomfort as she could. "You—" she started to say, but stopped, transfixed, when she saw the look in his eyes. It was a complex mix of emotions that she could not truly believe. Pain, fear, tremendous suffering, worry, relief… longing? She was so astonished, she let him go. His head dropped backward and hit the earth roughly, earning a soft groan. His eyes clenched shut, tearing the look away from her. She was both relieved and regretful that she could no longer see his eyes. It had been so intense that she felt she needed more time to understand.

He began coughing, a wretched sound that racked his whole body. She stood; as soon as she did, he curled to the side, drawing his knees to his chest. He coughed even harder, a rattle that made it sound like his insides were torn, and they probably were; she had noted that before the fight began. She watched him as he lay dying, unsure what to do or say. She had not been expecting the look in his eyes, and so she just watched him.

In the background, Lee was asking Naruto questions, but he was ignoring them, watching the exchange between Itachi and Sakura.

His breathing grew shallow, and his eyes remained closed. Sakura tried very hard to hold on to the dream she had continually had, but it was slipping. She could no longer truly focus on it, and every time she held onto it for more than a few seconds, the look in his eyes came back to her and shattered her vision. In his last few moments, she felt nothing but pity mixed with a bit of medical curiosity. Then, finally, he breathed his last exhalation, and did not breathe again.

As one of his fists unfurled, a crumpled piece of paper tumbled out harmlessly upon the grass. Sakura cocked her head to the side, then bent down to pick it up. Before she even read the content, she recognized the writing, and felt a chill shoot up her spine. It had been on another piece of paper, with the necklace she wore.

"Sakura—

Wear this always. Remember that I will forever protect you from all of the enemies of your heart, even if you cannot see me. Don't try to remember me."

She swallowed hard as she forced herself to read the words:

"For Sakura:

Stars never compare

The night we shared together

All I saw was you."

It was a Haiku. But there was more.

"Naruto loves you, more than I ever could. For what it's worth, I'm sorry it had to end this way, but in time I hope you will understand. Farewell.

Itachi"

Suddenly, it was as if a floodgate had opened, and her memories poured back in. The dreams of the Uchiha family had fled with Itachi's life, and no longer haunted her. In its place were much sweeter, much more painful memories. She remembered everything.

She saw Sasuke, her husband, beautiful and deadly as he had ever been, but more so, enhanced by his age. He had been the most heart-rending, earth-shattering portrait of male perfection that had ever been a part of her life. He had been talented, handsome, intelligent, and attentive. He had never missed a single detail, had known all of her favorite things, and made her feel as if she was the luckiest and most special woman in the entire universe. What a shame that it had all been a sham.

She saw her heart breaking as he devoted his attention to other women and ignored her feelings for him. She watched the anger and frustration in the face she had fallen in love with as it caused her pain, to her body and mind. She remembered the many nights of tears, the nights she had spent curled up on the kitchen floor in pain having been kicked, and the nights that he'd never come home. She remembered the pity in the eyes of all those that knew. She remembered hating herself, because he made her feel that she was worthless. She remembered losing her pride in her work and her time as a ninja, losing her sense of who she was, and losing the will to even live. The memory of her placing the poison in her glass of wine one night, then falling asleep and forgetting to drink it surfaced and caused her to fall to her knees. It was bad, worse than she could have ever imagined.

And then, she remembered something else; running away. What had it solved? Well, nothing really, except she had inadvertently met Itachi. All she had wanted to do was run away, leave everything behind; a man that looked so much like Sasuke, and yet had been so much kinder. It was he that had crafted the falling stars for her. Only for her, just to bring her joy. Now, looking back, she knew he had not been the right choice, but he had understood her and taught her so much. He'd reminded her what it was like to laugh, to love, and to really live. Her eyes fell upon her husband's older brother, silently thanking him.

What a horrible, wretched thing she had done in killing this man. She'd been wrong and awful to marry Sasuke instead of her best friend, and she'd been wrong and awful in killing the man who had finally taught her this. She was worthless, after all. Sasuke had been right.

First, the tears leaked from her eyes. In mere moments, she was screaming.


	18. A Good Cry

The sound of it tore his heart apart. Oh, he'd heard Sakura cry before, but not like this. The Sakura from before was in pain, tired, and needing someone to tell her it was going to be alright, even if she didn't believe it was true. This Sakura was screaming for loss. This was the sound of a Sakura with nothing left, someone who knew it was never going to be alright, never again. She did not even know who she was right now, other than a knot of pain and suffering. He knew what it meant; she had remembered, and she had killed Itachi.

Through brute strength alone that he did not even know he had, he wrestled free from his prison, manhandling his way out of the earth. In a few long strides he was there. He wrapped his arms around the sobbing form of his best friend and held her. He didn't tell her it was going to be alright; they both knew it wasn't. Just as he had always done, just as he was now, he just held her, lending her his strength when she had none. He pulled her closer, letting her curl up against his chest just as they had done on her sixteenth birthday.

She didn't even seem to acknowledge he was there, but he didn't care. He knew he was there, and for him that was enough. She cried, screaming into his body for too long. His heart ached for her, but he knew it was nothing compared to her own pain. When at last her sobs had become little more than hiccups, he made a shadow clone to free their comrade, and lifted her off the ground. When he was free, Lee trailed at a respectful distance, unsure of what was really going on, but content not to disturb Sakura.

Broken, confused, yet triumphant, the trio returned to Konoha.

* * *

 

He met the Hokage's eyes. "It's done. Itachi Uchiha is dead."

"Good," she replied, inwardly relieved. She observed the red rimmed, petulantly stewing Sakura, hunched in a chair across her study, the troubled, silently brooding Rock Lee, and the defeated, barely able to stand Naruto. This did not seem like a victorious squad. "Why so down? You won, didn't you?"

He sighed heavily. "Yes, Lady Hokage. I suppose it was just a little hard on Sakura and I. Now that Itachi is dead, we are forced to mourn the loss of Sasuke himself. Revenge is bittersweet." Her eyes trailed to Lee. He had not been fond of Sasuke, at least. Naruto read the lingering look. "I suppose Lee has picked up on our moods and doesn't know how to help." Lee, for his part, merely averted his gaze. He would be glad when he was allowed to go home and leave them to their own grieving. Secretly, he'd celebrated the man's death and would do so again tonight since Itachi had died. They were both assholes, and were both weights off of Sakura's conscience and meant she would eventually be happy again. Their loss was no loss to the Leaf Village nor to Rock Lee.

She looked at the three of them, then nodded. "Alright, I will expect the full report tomorrow then. I have some news for you, Sakura." A shifting in her eyes from dead space toward the Hokage was the only indication that she was interested. "The block on your memory was a genjutsu meant for Itachi that projected Sasuke's worst memories on him. I'm not sure how to remove it, however. The records of it are old, and pretty much degraded. I'm not sure how Sasuke was able to find it, in fact."

She nodded, unwilling to tell her mentor that the block had already been removed and the dreams had completely stopped.

"You are all dismissed. Take the rest of the day off. Naruto and Sakura, you have the week off. But when you come back I need you to be alert. Get your grieving over with, already."

He nodded, and they went their separate ways toward home.

* * *

 

As soon as he was inside his apartment, he made a beeline for his bed. He'd been in the habit of laying flat on his back and staring at the ceiling when he needed to think, and that was precisely what he needed now. He dropped his gear right at the door and flopped down heavily atop the mussed comforter. He closed his eyes, allowing the events of the day to replay in his mind. Nothing about the day felt right, from the moment Sakura had assailed him in her apartment to the moment he crashed atop his bed.

He sincerely hoped Itachi had been right about the manner of his death. It was the only fact of the whole deal that would even begin to make it worth living through. So much had happened in so little time. Naruto wondered when he'd ever be able to recover from it. Sasuke was dead, which meant Sakura was alone. Itachi was dead now, too, which had left Naruto with a sick sense lingering in his conscience and Sakura with a whirlwind of memories that induced self-loathing. Itachi had been right about one thing: Sakura, at least, needed a friend. And, he felt that he did, too.

He told himself to go to her, if only to make sure she was alright. But no, that was not right. It would look indecent for him to show up at her apartment at this hour. But then again, what if she was not alright? But no, Sakura was very headstrong and would insist she was fine even if she wasn't. But then, no, again, because if that were true she would not have needed him all those nights when Sasuke had hurt her. The force of it hit him like an avalanche: he was in love with her, and it was making him act like an idiot.

Of course, he'd always loved her. This was not news. But before, she had been someone else's, first in spirit, and then in marriage, and he'd known she was off limits. For that reason alone, being around her had been easy. He had known that he and her would not be together and he didn't feel like he needed to impress her. Now, she was alone, and he was afraid of how she viewed him. What if she did not appreciate the extra attention from him, and did not want him around? What if she would always doubt anything between them because of their bond with Sasuke? What if she was not ready for any man to be in her life, even one who had always been there? All these thoughts and more rushed through his brain, until finally the thoughts were running so fast that he blocked them all off and let one thought ring true:

Sakura should NOT be alone tonight, and he needed to let her know he was there when she needed him.

Mind made up, he yanked on his sandals and stalked to the door. He threw the door open, but then his eyes widened with shock. There she was, arm raised in a fist, ready to knock on his door. Her eyes widened as well, surprised he had answered the door when he did. The lovely green eyes he'd adored for so long were red-rimmed with exhaustion. She'd clearly been crying. They stared at each other for a minute. Pain exchanged. The only sound between them was a long sigh from Naruto as he spread his arms wide. Without hesitation, she fell into them, instantly bursting into tears as she had so many times before. He accepted her weight against him, deftly lifting her feet off the ground and curling them around his hip as he shut the door with his other hand. He carried her to the sofa—the very one they had cuddled upon three years prior—and set her down. He seated himself next to her, laid a throw pillow on his lap, and tugged her head down upon it. She buried her face into his abdomen and let the tears come, curling her body into a tight ball, a defense against the enemies of her heart, of all the pains in the world that had plagued her her entire life.

He just sat there and let her cry herself out, which she did with zeal. Brow knitted together in concern, he watched, knowing that right now there was nothing he could do but wait. Her mind was surely racing, blocking out everything but the sheer pain and all the memories that amplified it. It the only thing of value he had learned about a woman in pain: Until she was ready to get past it, all she wanted to do was hold onto the pain, drawing it in to its fullest strength, allowing it to envelop her and swallow her before spitting her back out into the arms of the one who was supposed to repair her tortured soul. So, he waited.

After a good long time, she sniffled, wiping the back of a hand across her face and rubbing at her eyes. She opened her eyes, but stared straight at his stomach, not daring to match her pain-filled eyes to his. She swallowed a few times, preparing to speak. "Naruto… I've been such a fool," she whispered. She hesitated. "When I was a girl, after he'd left—" instinctively, he knew she meant Sasuke "—I'd eventually lost all hope he was ever coming back. I loved you back then, but it was so different from what I'd felt for Sasuke that I didn't think it was real. What I felt for him was nothing but a schoolgirl's crush. It was meaningless, loveless, and empty. I saw a face, and a boy who might need me, and it had me dedicated to what I had thought was my purpose in life. With you… dammit, Naruto, you and I can talk for hours. I get angry, and you wait for me. I cry, and… look at you! You're here, holding me, after all I have done. You've always been here for me. Back then, I thought that was because you were a good friend, but right after my birthday, I realized that was something really, really special."

"Sakura, I—oof!" she elbowed him in the ribs, causing him to cough and then suppress a laugh.

She frowned. "Let me finish. Sasuke came back, and the intensity of the schoolgirl crush returned. He cornered me, told me things every girl dreams of hearing, showed me things girls imagine in their wildest dreams." Naruto looked away uncomfortably. She chose to ignore it. "I thought I was well and truly in love. I… made the biggest mistake in my entire life by marrying Sasuke. And, I've paid for it dearly.

"When I left you, in the Sand Village, I didn't know what I was running toward, only what I was running away from. I was running away from Sasuke, because I was afraid of him and could not stand the thought of his touch even one more time. But, I was mostly running away from you, because I was ashamed of what I had done. I could not bear the way you look at me, because all you showed me was pure, unconditional love, and I had repayed you by marrying a man that didn't care for me, and becoming a woman I don't even like. I could not stand that you loved me when I—could—not—love—myself. I don't deserve you."

"Sakura—" he yelped as the familiar pain in his side returned.

She had elbowed him again. "Can it, idiot," she growled. She took a breath. "I met a masked stranger in the woods. To this day, I don't know why he even cared. He told me, but I don't understand. It was Sasuke's brother, Itachi. He had been watching all of us. He had taken pity on me, and swore himself to the task of protecting me. Not knowing who he was, we talked. He made me laugh, he intrigued me. I didn't understand why anyone I had never met was so interested in my well being. When I learned who he was I wanted to kill him. He didn't even flinch. The last night we spent together, he crafted a Genjutsu, just for me. He made the stars rain down around me just to make me smile. He never forced himself on me; he was just there. I almost ran away with him, just because it was anywhere but home that I knew would be comfortable. It was a rash decision, I knew, but it hurt so bad here in Konoha that I wanted to be selfish and reckless.

"I killed him, Naruto. I killed a man who had never hurt me, someone who had risked his life for me and made me smile. I remember, now, right before I lost my memory, during the fight, I had tried to call out to protect him, and he glanced, wide eyed and scared that  _I_ was in danger? I killed—that—man?" The tears leaked out again, and Naruto sensed that this was where he was supposed to speak.

"It was his wish, Sakura, that you or I killed him today." Her eyes widened at his words. He nodded. "Yes. Itachi came to your apartment the day you punched me in the face. He told me that in order for everything to work out we needed to kill him. He was dying already."

"Ohhhh," she breathed. "That explains everything."

He nodded. "Sasuke's death, avenged. Konoha's clan killer, assassinated. All so—" he bit off the rest of his sentence, not wanting to push her.

She read it, though, ever clever. "All so… I could be happy… with you."


	19. Itachi's Second Chance*

Sakura shook her head ruefully. "Who would have thought it." She chuckled softly.

Naruto shrugged. "What?"

She laughed again. "Sasuke, the pride of Konoha, was a real asshole. Itachi, most-wanted on our list of vile murderers, was an innocent and thoughtful man. In the end, he sacrificed his life for the sake of another. Well, two others. Amazing." She kept shaking her head, daring to believe what had really happened in the recent portions of her life.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I suppose so." He stroked her hair to keep her calm and stared out the window, also lost in thought.

She frowned again, and Naruto quickly realized that she was embracing her pains again. "I don't know who I am anymore. I thought I loved Sasuke, and I was wrong about who he was. I thought I loved Itachi, and I was only acting rashly. I've hurt so many people, Naruto. Is it ever possible to just start over, from the beginning?"

He shook his head. "No, Sakura. We learn from our past. And sometimes, we are given another chance to redeem ourselves from where we messed up the first time. In that thought alone, we ought to deserve something, right? If we were truly as awful as we think, we'd never get another shot."

She nodded, listening to his words. She inhaled deeply, letting the air escape slowly as she shut her eyes. "Naruto?"

"Hm?"

"Are we going to be alright?"

He smiled. "Sakura, I know we're going to be alright. In fact, there's something I need to show you. You up for a mini adventure tonight?"

She didn't move or speak. He could tell that she was arguing within her own thoughts. Did she want to wallow in her sorrows a bit longer, or did she want to give in to her true nature and have a bit of fun? It had been a very long time since she remember doing anything just for the hell of it. Finally, curiosity got the better of her, and she nodded. "I guess so."

Come with me." He stood, drawing her off the couch and out the front door. She was intrigued but not really excited yet. For now, it was just a good excuse to get up and walk around. Part of her wanted to sit down again and just breathe slowly until she could fall asleep and have a dreamless rest. Part of her was trying to awaken the spirit of the original Sakura, the part of her that was carefree and happy to be sneaking around the night air with her best friend. She followed him, curious but not saying anything. The night breeze was chilly but not too uncomfortable. She could not tell if the shivers were from the temperature or the adventure.

When at last they arrived at the gate to the Uchiha complex, Sakura raised an eyebrow at him. He only answered her with a grin, grabbing her hand and tugging her along. It took him a minute to find Sasuke's house, but when he did and dragged Sakura inside she finally asked, "What are we doing here?" Her heartbeat was racing, despite her question. Her curiosity was piqued now and she had no idea of what adventures there were to be had at Sasuke's childhood home, but the Uchiha complex had been so dead for so long that it had the feel of a haunted house or a gutted pirate ship: old, previously rich, and possibly dangerous or hiding treasure.

He gripped her shoulders in her hands and bent down to look her directly in the eyes. "Itachi had a gift for us," he told her. "It's in this house." She stared back at him, more confused than ever, but she allowed herself to be led. She trusted Naruto. And Itachi. Besides, she was feeling a little giddy, like a child who was doing something they knew was wrong but didn't care.

Naruto did not waste time exploring the rest of the house. Something about it felt antique, and he felt a little uncomfortable being there. He pushed open the door that had Itachi's name carved into a plate on the outside. It took him a second to find the loose floor board, but when he found it, he pried it up with the sharp edge of a kunai knife. Underneath was bare earth that had been dug out to form a small cubbyhole. In the cubbyhole was a thin, black leather book and a heavy, red cloth pouch. As he lifted the satchel, it jingled as if partially full of coins. His eyes widened, though not nearly as much as Sakura's. He handed the bag to her and leafed through a couple pages of the book. Sakura bent over his shoulder and read as he did.

Inside the front cover it read:

"To whomever is reading this journal: If you don't have permission you had better be ready to suffer a painful and unfulfilling death. I will feed you to ninja cats!"

He noted the date on the first entry, and realized Itachi must have been perhaps five when he had started it. He thumbed through more pages, noting dates. It did not take him long to realize that this was an account of Itachi's actions, written for his personal record, from the time he was five to… three days ago? That was odd. Had he really been here that recently? He read the last passage aloud:

"To Naruto and Sakura—

Long have I lived a pathetic and meaningless life. It may have seemed at first that I was happy and successful until I snapped one day and went on a rampage. That was what everyone was supposed to think. I became a ninja to please my father, not because I wanted to. I learned my father was a power-hungry traitor and I killed him and everyone else guilty of the same crime. I was deemed criminal and I fled from my home, thinking it would set my younger brother on a path to glory. I learned he had become a miserable human being and had caused you both suffering. It was my fault. If I was planning on exterminating a flawed bloodline I should have finished the job. In failing to do that I have failed you both and all of Konoha. I am sorry for the pain I have caused.

By the time you have read this, the entire Uchiha clan will be gone. Though no one knew he was alive, I killed Madara Uchiha. There are none left. Our legacy is one of fool's pride and failure. As the last Uchiha to leave this world, I hope to have left something bright in my wake. Enclosed you will find my life's savings. I know it's not much, but most of my earnings were seized by the Akatsuki organization. In this journal is the truth in entirety. I trust you to use it as you see fit. I am dead, and I don't care if my name remains smeared, but now you, at least, will know the truth.

I am in no position to demand my final wishes. I doubt anything will ease my spirits where I am going. This was my chance at redemption. With the passing of my life, I hope I have brought you the freedom to make each other happy. It's the least I could do for all the trouble I've caused.

Itachi Uchiha"

He and Sakura shared a look. Sakura opened the bag of coins, and gasped. "Naruto, there's enough money in here to buy an entire apartment complex." His eyes widened. "What do we do with it?" Never in her life had she seen so much wealth.

"What do you mean?" he asked, his voice laced with shock. "It's ours. He told me I would find this here." If he was to be honest with himself though, it all felt rather dreamlike. Was this happening?

"Oh." Sakura was thinking much the same thing. She had gone through hell and back so recently, seen the bright side of pleasure and the dark side of pain. She felt as if she had been scrubbed clean inside and out with steel wool: her mind and body felt tattered and numb, but she somehow knew that it meant she was made anew. She fumbled for her best friend's hand in the darkness, and twisted her fingers in his. "Naruto..." she whispered. "I've been rotten. I'm so sorry."

He shook his head. "Sakura, I could have protected you and I was too cowardly to do it. I've been a bad friend."

She chuckled. "Well. Aren't we a pair then?" He raised an eyebrow at her. In the darkness, it took her a moment to catch it. "I mean, both of us, the best ninjas in Konoha, both horribly unhappy and thinking we deserved no better. What if we did, and just messed it up?"

"What if we did what?"

She had an answer for him…  _"What if we had deserved better?"_ But the words caught in her throat. It was so like a dream she had had, the one she had not told him about. She yanked sharply on his hand, pulling him toward her. His weight crashed into her, knocking them both to the floor boards. She scrambled her fingers into his messy hair, holding on tightly to the one person who had always been there for her.

He closed his eyes, not daring to believe. When he opened them again, there she was, face upturned and eyes reflecting just enough moonlight to tell him where the rest of her face was. He pressed his lips to hers, softly, just to assure himself it was all real. She responded with more intensity. They fueled each other's attentions, increasing the hot energy between them and the heartbeats in their chests until it ended in a few soft and gentle kisses. He moved a lock of moon-silvered hair from her eyes, gazing down into the face he'd never thought would regard him this way. His heart raced and his breath caught in his throat. He was afraid that if he shut his eyes for too long, it would disappear and prove itself to be unreal. "Sakura," he murmured, caressing her cheek with one thumb, "I've only ever dreamed of a moment like this."

She grinned up at him and felt her heart skip a beat. "Oh yeah? Let me tell you about my dream…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *is not really a chance at all, since he's dead, but it's sort of a posthumous second chance at leaving a positive influence on the world. He didn't really do bad things, of course, but he was remembered as a bad person, and this refers to him changing his legacy.
> 
> NOTE: This was written a long time ago... so that bit about Madara and such is now kind of out of date. *shrug*


End file.
